NEW  YORK 

OLD  i^ND  NE  W 


lEx  Htbrtfi 


SEYMOUR  DURST 


When  you  leave,  please  leave  this  hook 

Because  it  has  heen  said 
" Ever' thing  comes  t'  him  who  waits 

Except  a  loaned  hook.  " 


OLD   YORK    LIBRARY  -  OLD   YORK  FOUNDATION 


Ave  RY  ARCHITECTURAL  AND  FlNi;  ARTS  LIBRARY 

Gift  of  Seymol  r  B.  Di  rst  Old  York  Library 


1 


New  VorV  CoTTimercial 


A  SOUVENIR  OF 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

OLD  AND  NEW 


NEW  YORK  COMMERCIAL 

Twenty  Vesey  Street,  New  York 


Digitized  by 

the  Internet  Archive 

in  2013 

http://archive.org/details/souvenirofnewyorOOnewy_0 


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i=====s=======s=iiiiiiiiiiiiiii||iiiiiiiiiiiiigi 


1  he  Imperial  City  of  the  World;  the  commercial 
and  financial  capital  of  the  universe;  a  subject  so 
stupendous  that  type  and  pen  are  at  a  loss  to  portray. 
A  city  of  success  built  at  the  gateway  of  a  land  so 
marvelous  that  the  world's  history  affords  no  country  with  which  to  compare.  It  is  the 
dream  city  not  only  for  those  who  owe  allegiance  to  their  own,  but  to  the  oppressed 
of  every  land. 

The  story  of  this  transcendent  monarch  of  all  municipalities  is  the  most  entranc- 
ing that  the  world  has  ever  known.  Nmevah  and  Babylon  and  Rome  after  centuries 
of  vitality  reached  the  apex  of  commercial  importance  and  faded  before  the  sun  of  a 
newer  civilization.  Twenty  centuries  ago  London  and  Paris  were  known  to  the  mer- 
chants of  the  world,  while  New  York  is  measured  by  less  than  three. 

During  the  nearly  one  and  one-quarter  centuries  of  the  life  of  the  New  York 
Commercial,  New  York  has  risen  from  a  comfortable  and  thriving  place  of  sixty  thou- 
sand people  to  the  position  she  occupies  today,  the  unquestioned  metropolis  of  the  world. 
This  growth,  almost  incomprehensible  in  its  magnitude,  forms  a  series  of  high-lights 
more  fascinating  than  any  fable  ever  conceived  by  the  mind  of  man. 

The  New  York  of  a  century  ago  lies  buried  beneath  the  waves  of  its  own  prosperity. 
The  New  York  of  but  a  score  of  years  ago  is  unrecognizable  in  its  present  garb.  To 
those  of  us  who  were  born  and  bred  within  its  confines  the  changes  are  more  wonder- 
ful than  to  him  who  sees  it  for  the  first  time. 

In  the  distracting  race  to  keep  abreast  of  the  mad  procession  too  little  thought 
is  given  to  the  men  and  things  that  go  to  make  up  the  solid  base  of  our  material  prog- 
ress. The  mind,  stimulated  by  the  modern  press,  thmks  only  of  the  passmg  moment 
or  of  the  morrow  and  pays  little  heed  to  the  great  underlying  basic  principles  that  make 
this  wonder-city  what  it  is. 

This  work  brought  out  by  the  staff  of  a  newspaper  which  has  devoted  more  than 
a  hundred  years  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  commercial  side  of  the  city  and  nation  illus- 
trates for  its  readers  the  human  side  of  the  progress  of  which  it  has  had  the  good  fortune 
to  form  a  part.  It  chronicles  the  development  of  the  comparative  into  the  superlative, 
and  in  the  telling  of  it  has  undertaken  to  demonstrate  the  reasons  why  New  York  business 
of  every  character  has  come  to  lead  the  world  in  its  endeavor.  The  changes  are  so 
swift  that  too  much  can  never  be  said  or  written  upon  the  subject. 

■■■■liililiilillillllilillillilllllilllllsllillllglilllilllilllllllirtlliilliiillllliiiillllllil 


N?w  iQrk 


Summary  of  Chapters 

NEW   YORK-OLD  AND  NEW 

For  Complete  Index  and  Table  of  Contents  See  Back  Pages  oj  Book. 


PAGES 


Chapter  One 
New  York  in    1795    9 

Chapi  er  Two 
Fhiee  Constructive  Decades   21 

Chapter  Three 
New  York  From  1825  to  1850   31 

Chapter  Four 
From  1850  to  the  Close  of  the  Civil  War.  41 

Chapter  Five 

A  Quarter  Century  of  Expansion   53 

Chapter  Six 
From  1891  to  1917   65 

C  hap  PER  Seven 
New  York  as  a  Financial  Metropolis.  ...  81 

Chapter  Eight 

Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York   129 

Chapter  Nine 

Domestic  Transportation  In,  From  and  To 

New  York   153 


PAGES 


Chapter  Ten 

The   Mining   Interest   175 

Chapter  Eleven 

Crude  and  Manufactured  Rubber   199 

Chapter  Thirteen 

As  An  Oil  Center   208 

Chapter  Fourteen 

The  Textile  Interests   227 

Chapter  Fifteen 
Overseas  Trade  of  New  \  ork   249 

Chapter  Sixteen 

Chemical  Manufacturers   267 

Chapter  Senenteein 

New    York    Harbor    and    Its  Maritime 

Interests   288 


Chapter  Eighteen 

Important  Lines  of  Industry  and  Commerce  319 


CHAPTER  ONE 


New  York  in  1 795 


The  Kind  of    City  It  Was  When  John  Jay  Became  Governor — Social  and 
Political  Aspects — The  Jay  Treaty  and  Its  Results. 


IN  I  795  New  York  had  emerged  from  its 
Colonial  dependence,  was  no  longer  Dutch  or 
English  (though  the  descendants  of  the  Dutch 
still  held  a  prominent  place  in  its  citizenship),  and 
had  become  distinctively  American.  New  Amster- 
dam had  long  before  seen  the  sunset  of  its  brief 
and  pioneering  day.  The  royal  Stuarts,  who  had 
long  counted  the  New  York  "Colonials  '  as  among 
the  most  loyal  and  obedient  of  their  subjects,  had 
overdone  their  program  of  ruling  those  same 
Colonials  as  inferiors  to  be  pressed  and  strait- 
jacketted  into  unmurmuring  submission. 

New  York  had  become  American,  crudely  at 
first,  but  growing  into  consciousness  of  a  govern- 
mental ideal  broadly  founded  on  the  consent  of  the 
governed.  George  Washington  was  still  President 
in  I  795,  with  two  more  years  to  serve,  but  the 
Federal  Capital  had  been  removed  to  Philadelphia, 
there  to  remain  until  some  location  should  be  found 
where  local  affairs  could  be  entirely  under  Federal 
control.  New  York  remained  the  State  Capital, 
and  its  people  were  largely  concerned  with  the  is- 
sues of  State  politics. 

New  York  in  1  795  was  proud  of  its  greatness 
as  the  home  of  something  like  forty  thousand 
people.  The  exact  figures  are  not  known,  for  it 
was  not  a  census  year,  but  the  figures  of  the  decen- 
nial years  preceding  and  following  were  29,906 
in  1  790  and  60,5  1  5  in  1  800,  an  increase  for  the 
decade  of  30,609,  or  more  than  100  per  cent. 

In  many  aspects,  social  and  political,  the  people 
and  their  ways  were  crude  and  unpolished.  But 
there  was  also  an  upper  stratum  of  people  who 
from  reasons  of  wealth,  birth  or  education,  com- 
ported themselves  as  being,  at  least  socially,  a  select 
and  in  a  measure  a  higher  class.  This  had  been 
especially  manifest  in  New  York  in  1 789  and 
1  790,  when  New  York  was  the  Capital  of  the 
United  States  and  socially  what  came  to  be  called, 
not  inappropriately,  "President  Washington's  Re- 
publican Court."     The  "Court"  had  been  removed 


to  Philadelphia  but  an  important  section  of  its 
social  circle  had  remained  in  New  York.  Among 
its  members  were  men  who  had  distinguished  them- 
selves in  many  fields,  many  of  them  tried  and 
proved  patriots  whose  services  in  the  Revolution  or 
in  the  Federal  councils  sufficiently  attested  their 
fealty  to  the  United  States.  But  their  birth  and 
training  had  taught  them  to  regard  themselves,  and 
to  act,  as  a  class  aloof  and  apart — fashionable,  ele- 
gant, refined,  and  to  a  considerable  degree  punc- 
tilious. They  had  in  fact  brought  over  the  tra- 
ditions of  English  aristocracy  into  a  republican  re- 
gime with  which,  it  seemed  to  many,  they  were  not 
quite  congruous.  Speaking  of  the  "levees"  of 
President  Washington  (or  more  correctly  of  Mrs. 
Washington),  during  the  period  when  New  York 
was  the  Federal  Capital,  one  of  our  historians  has 
said:  "None  were  admitted  to  the  levees  but  those 
who  had  either  a  right  by  official  station  to  be 
there  or  were  entitled  to  the  privilege  by  established 
merit  and  character,  and  full  dress  was  required 
of  all." 

When  the  Capital  was  removed  those  New 
Yorkers  who  moved  in  high  society  still  kept  up 
their  social  intercourse.  Mrs.  John  Jay,  who  was 
a  daughter  of  William  Livingston,  governor  of 
New  Jersey,  was  the  most  prominent  social  leader. 
She  had  been  with  her  husband  during  his  resi- 
dence for  four  years  and  a  half  in  Madrid  and 
Paris.  While  there  she  had  been  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  gayeties  of  the  French  Court,  and  the 
friend  of  Marie  Antoinette  (to  whom  Mrs.  Jay 
was  said  to  bear  a  striking  resemblance),  and  of 
many  prominent  ladies  of  the  French  nobility.  In 
New  York  society  her  house  became  the  rallying 
center  of  the  socially  notable. 

The  people  outside  of  the  select  circle  which 
had  surrounded  the  President  exhibited  great  wrath 
at  the  formality  and  pomp  of  what  they  called  the 
"royalist"  court.  The  furor  of  French  sympathy 
which  took  hold  of  the  populace  when  news  came 


10 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


ol  the  success  o!  the  French  Revolution  in  1793 
accentuated  this  feeling.  Partisans  vied  with  each 
other  in  their  ardor  to  honor  and  copy  the  French 
Revolutionists.  When  almost  immediately  follow- 
ing the  Revolution,  war  broke  out  between  France 
and  England  it  had  quick  reflex  action  upon  the 
social  and  political  alignments  in  America.  Pro- 
French  and  Anti-English  became  synonymous 
terms  and  the  excesses  and  horrors  of  the  Reign 
of  Terror,  with  the  activities  of  "Madame  Guillo- 
tine," seemed  to  in  nowise  diminish  the  pro-French 
ardor  of  a  large  number  of  those  who  wore  the 
tricolor,  addressed  each  other  as  "Citizen"  and 
sang  "Ca  Ira"  in  the  streets.  Some,  however, 
lost  their  French  sympathies  when  the  excesses  of 
the  Terror  came  to  light. 

This  cleavage  on  the  French  Revolution  found 
on  one  side  the  Federalists,  led  in  New  York  by 
John  Jay.  Alexander  Hamilton  and  Richard  Var- 
ick.  Mayor  of  New  York.  Local  leaders  on  the 
other  side  were  Edward  Livingston,  Aaron  Burr, 
Governor  George  Clinton  and  his  abler  nephew  De- 
Witt  Clinton,  men  of  influence  in  the  Republican 
party  (then  so  named  but  later  officially  adopting 
the  title  of  "Democrats"  used  against  them  by  the 
Federalists) . 

Controversy  raged  fiercely  over  the  question  of 
neutrality  in  the  war  between  Britain  and  France. 
The  French  Revolution  had  fired  the  popular  en- 
thusiasm and  the  radicals  of  the  Republican  party 
wore  the  tricolor  in  token  of  their  entire  sympathy 
and  approval.  They  had  lionized  "Citizen" 
Genet,  who  had  come  in  I  793  to  represent  the 
new  French  Republic,  and  belonged  to  the  Giron- 
dist faction  of  the  French  revolutionists.  Some  of 
them  supported  the  cantankerous  "Citizen"  in  his 
insolent  defiance  of  Washington  which  led  to  his 
recall  in  1  794.  But  Genet  did  not  go  back  to 
France.  The  Girondists,  who  had  been  in  the 
ascendant  when  he  was  appointed  minister,  were  at 
the  lime  he  was  recalled  being  guillotined  by  the 
party  then  in  power  in  Paris,  the  Jacobins  of  the 
Mountain.  So  Genet  came  from  Philadelphia  to 
New  York,  courted  and  married  the  daughter  of 
Governor  George  Clinton  and  became  a  citizen  of 
New  York  until  his  death  here  in  1 836. 

Washington  had  declared  neutrality  in  the  war 
between  England  and  France  and  at  about  the 
time  of  Genet's  recall  had  taken  John  Jay,  Chief 
Justice,  away  from  the  bench  of  the  Supreme 
Court  and  sent  him  to  England  to  negotiate  a 
treaty  of  commerce.  It  was  a  difficult  job,  not 
only  because  negotiations  with  Britain  at  that  time 
called  for  a  most  watchful  and  judicious  mind  but 
also  because  of  the  certainty  that  any  treaty  with 
England  would  be  sure  to  bring  down  a  storm  of 
denunciation  from  the  pro-French  Republican  par- 
tisans. The  treaty  with  Great  Britain  that  he  ne- 
gotiated brought  great  advantages  of  trade  and 
comity  though  it  was  predicated  on  a  continuance 


ot  neutrality  in  the  Anglo-h  rench  war.  Jay  had 
not  returned  with  the  treaty  when  the  election  for 
Governor  was  held  in  April,  1  795,  Jay  being 
selected  by  the  Federalists  and  Robert  Yates  by 
the  Republicans  as  candidates  for  that  office.  Jay 
was  elected  by  sixteen  hundred  votes.  He  arrived 
in  the  city  on  May  28,  I  795,  with  his  treaty  and 
was  inaugurated  on  July  6th.  It  was  known  that 
Jay  had  completed  a  treaty  with  Great  Britain 
and  that  was  enough  to  raise  a  hue  and  cry  against 
him  by  the  radical  agitators  of  the  opposing  party. 

The  outbreak  of  invective  and  vituperation  was 
violent  in  the  extreme.  The  verdict  of  history  is 
that  the  United  States  has  had  no  citizen  of  purer 
purpose  and  motive  than  John  Jay,  no  more 
patriotic  citizen  and  no  more  incorruptible  man. 
But  before  the  Senate  had  been  given  time  or  of>- 
portunity  to  pass  upon  it,  mass  meetings  had  been 
held  in  New  York,  Philadelphia  and  Boston  which 
passed  resolutions  condemning  the  treaty  and  de- 
nouncing its  author.  The  New  York  meeting  was 
held  in  front  of  the  City  Hall  at  Wall  and  Broad 
Streets.  Richard  Varick,  the  Mayor,  and  Alex- 
ander Hamilton,  who  had  resigned  from  the  posi- 
tion of  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  in  January  to 
resume  the  practice  of  law  in  New  York,  both 
used  their  efforts  to  keep  the  meeting  within  the 
bounds  of  calm  consideration.  Edward  Living- 
ston, who  was  afterwards  Mayor,  was  selected  as 
Chairman.  He  had  just  entered  Congress  and 
was  one  of  the  foremost  of  the  Republican  op- 
ponents of  the  Jay  treaty  and  of  Federalist  meas- 
ures in  general.  The  audience  was  hostile  and 
Hamilton,  who  had  never  before  failed  to  gain 
the  attention  of  those  whom  he  addressed,  was  as- 
sailed with  missiles.  A  stone  struck  him  on  the 
forehead  but  he  said,  without  any  apparent  excite- 
ment, "If  you  use  such  striking  arguments  I  must 
retire."  As  he  suited  the  action  to  the  word  the 
mob  hurried  away  to  Bowling  Green  where  they 
burned  what  purported  to  be  copies  of  the  treaty, 
unfurled  the  French  flag  and  made  demonstrations 
against  the  British.  There  were  several  anti-treaty 
meetings,  at  one  of  which  Jay  was  hanged  in 
effigy,  as  he  was  also  at  a  similar  gathering  in 
Philadelphia,  where  Congress  was  in  session. 

The  treaty  was  ratified  by  the  Senate  and 
petitions  poured  in  asking  Washington  not  to  sign 
it.  But  the  merchants  of  the  country,  fully  alive 
to  the  benefits  of  untrammeled  commerce,  were  al- 
most unanimous  in  favor  of  the  treaty.  The 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
from  its  first  organization  to  the  present  time  a 
representative  of  the  best  business  and  economic 
interests  of  the  city,  held  a  meeting  with  seventy 
members  present  and  approved  the  treaty  by  a  vote 
of  60  to  1  0.  With  some  modifications  the  treaty 
was  signed  by  President  Washington  and  became 
valid. 

The  New  York  of  I  795.  is  not  easily  within 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


the  range  of  mental  vision  of  the  New  Yorker  of 
1917.  In  population  it  numbered  between  thirty- 
five  thousand  and  forty  thousand  but  the  physical 
surroundings  were  vastly  different  from  those  that 
now  prevail. 

There  were  practically  no  sidewalks.  The 
first  one  was  laid  in  the  city  in  I  790,  a  very  nar- 
row payment  of  brick  "scarcely  allowing  two 
lean  men  to  walk  abreast,  or  one  man  alone," 
one  chronicler  tells  us.  It  was  laid  on  both 
sides  of  Broadway  from  Vesey  Street  to  Murray 
Street. 

Broadway  until  I  760  extended  only  from  Bowl- 
ing Green  to  what  afterward  became  Vesey  Street. 
Beyond  that  the  Commons  (occupying  ground  now 
covered  by  City  Hall  Park  and  the  Post  Office), 
was  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Church  Farm. 


tion.  He  continued  to  conduct  it  for  some  years 
after  the  Revolution. 

In  I  794  the  city  authorities  decided  to  make 
Great  George  Street  a  part  of  Broadway  and 
paved  the  street  and  planted  trees  from  Vesey  to 
Duane  Street,  and  the  same  year  Reade  and 
Duane  Streets  were  laid  out  and  opened  to  the 
public.  There  had  been  for  several  years  before 
that  very  little  public  improvement  but  after  this 
beginning  much  more  was  undertaken. 

The  Commons  had  lost  that  character  with  the 
fencing  in  of  the  property  with  a  post  and  rail 
fence  because  the  extension  of  residences  and 
business  south  of  the  park  had  made  it  a  matter 
of  public  inconvenience  to  allow  cattle  and  other 
animals  to  run  at  large  upon  the  green.  So  while 
the  older  residents  still  spoke  of  it  as  "the  Com- 


The  Government  House,  "Whitehall,"  Erected  in  1786  on  Site  of  Old  Fort  Facing  Bowling  Green 
Where  the  Custom  House  Now  Stands. — This  House  Was  Originally  Designed  for 
President  Washington,  but  Was  Used  Later  for  New  York  Governors. 


In  I  760  a  continuation  of  Broadway  from  Vesey 
to  Barley  (Duane)  Street  and  facing  the  Com- 
mons, was  surveyed  under  the  name  of  Great 
George  Street  but  was  not  paved  or  improved  un- 
til after  the  Revolution.  There  was  an  old  house 
on  the  corner  of  the  Church  Farm  at  Vesey  Street, 
originally  the  farm  house  of  the  Church  Farm,  and 
on  the  site  until  recently  occupied  by  the  Astor 
House.  In  its  last  days  it  was  known  as  the 
Drovers'  Inn.  Near  the  corner  of  Murray  Street 
and  Great  George  Street  was  a  public  garden  and 
tavern  conducted  by  Abraham  de  la  Montagne, 
which  had  been  the  first  headquarters  of  the 
Liberty  Boys  before  the  Revolution,  until  the  land- 
lord, who  evidently  did  not  let  politics  interfere 
with  business,  let  the  place  for  a  Royalist  celebra- 


mons"  it  began  to  be  called  by  its  later  name  "the 
Fields."  Before  I  795  the  post  and  rail  enclosure 
had  been  succeeded  by  the  more  sightly  wooden 
palings  which  continued  to  be  used  until  1816,  iron 
railings  then  being  substituted.  The  completion  of  the 
change  was  commemorated  by  a  public  celebration. 

Inside  the  enclosure  there  stood  in  1  795  the 
Almshouse,  built  to  take  care  of  the  city's  poor 
in  I  736  and  occupying  almost  the  identical  site 
of  the  present  City  Hall.  West  of  the  Almshouse 
was  the  City  Prison,  completed  in  1  764,  and  east 
of  the  Almsl  louse  was  the  Bridewell,  built  in  I  775 
with  the  proceeds  of  a  public  lottery  and  continued 
in  use  until  I  839,  when  it  was  taken  down.  Its 
stones  were  used  in  the  construction  of  the  Tombs. 
Both  the  jail  and  Bridewell  were  used  as  prisons 


12 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


lor  patriots  bj-  Cunningliani,  the  brutal  Provost 
Marshal,  during  the  British  occupation.  A  little 
north  of  these  structures  was  the  negro  burial 
ground,  set  apart  in  New  Amsterdam  days  for  the 
burial  of  negroes,  slave  or  free.  This  m  1 796 
was  taken  over  by  the  city  in  exchange  for  other 
property  in  order  that  Chambers  Street,  which  up 
to  that  time  had  been  laid  out  only  west  of  Broad- 
way, should  be  extended  east  of  that  thoroughfare 
to  Chatham  Street  (now  Park  Row). 

In  1  795  Bowling  Green  was  as  now  a  fenced 
enclosure.  Previous  to  1  732  it  was  called  "the 
Plain  before  the  Fort,"  the  Fort  under  various 
names  occupying  the  site  of  the  present  Custom 
House  from  the  earliest  settlement  of  New  Amster- 
dam. In  1  732  "the  Plain"  was  leased  to  John 
Chambers,  Peter  Bayard  and  Peter  Jay  "in  order 
to  be  enclosed  to  make  a  Bowling  Green  thereof, 
with  walks  therein,  for  the  beauty  and  adornment 
of  said  street,  as  well  as  for  the  recreation  and  de- 
light of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city."  This  lease 
was  for  eleven  years  at  a  rental  of  a  peppercorn  a 
year  and  was  renewed  on  its  expiration  for  another 
eleven  years  for  a  rental  of  twenty  shillings  per 
annum.  When  the  bowling  feature  was  discontin- 
ued is  not  recorded  but  it  was  made  the  site  for 
an  equestrian  statue  of  George  III  in  1  770,  or- 
dered erected  by  the  Provincial  Assembly  as  a 
popular  tribute  to  that  obstinate  monarch  in  grat- 
itude for  the  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act.  It  was 
in  the  year  following  that  the  Green  was  ordered 
fenced  in  to  make  a  more  fitting  setting  for  the 
royal  statue.  The  statue  was  of  lead  and  when, 
on  July  9,  1  776,  the  Declaration  of  Independence 
was  ratified  by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  New 
York,  the  Liberty  Boys,  led  by  Isaac  Sears, 
marched  down  Broadway  to  Bowling  Green,  top- 
pled His  Leaden  Majesty  from  his  pedestal  and 
chopped  him  up  into  convenient  chunks  which  were 
shipped  to  Litchfield,  Conn.  There  Governor 
Oliver  Wolcott's  patriot  wife  and  daughters 
molded  the  royal  lead  into  bullets  which  were  put 
into  ball  cartridges  in  order  that  the  royal  troops 
might,  as  a  cynical  patriot  observed,  "have  melted 
majesty  fired  at  them."  After  the  British  occupa- 
tion the  Green  was  leased  to  Chancellor  Livingston 
for  two  years  from  1  786,  conditioned  that  he 
should  at  his  own  expense  "manure  the  ground, 
sow  it  with  grass  and  have  it  well  laid  down  as  a 
green." 

The  Fort  which  faced  Bowling  Green  to  the 
south  was  demolished  in  1  790  in  order  to  make 
roam  for  the  Government  House,  provision  for 
which  had  been  made  with  the  idea  that  New  York 
was  to  remain  the  Federal  Capital  and  the  house 
was  to  be  dedicated  to  the  President's  use.  But 
the  capital  was  removed  before  the  house  was 
ready  for  occupancy  and  was  diverted  to  the  use 
of  the  Governor  as  a  residence  mansion.  It  was 
so  occupied  by  Governors  Clinton  and  Jay  and  in 


order  to  further  minister  to  gubcnicitonai  conven- 
ience it  was  ordered  in  1  793  that  Bowling  Green 
should  be  appropriated  to  the  use  of  the  Governor 
for  the  time  being,  an  arrangement  that  continued 
until  1798. 

Lower  Broadway  in  1 795  contained  numer- 
ous residences  of  prominent  New  Yorkers.  Alex- 
ander Hamilton  had  removed  from  Wall  Street 
to  No.  23  Broadway;  Nicholas  Low,  prominent 
merchant  and  capitalist  who  had  been  a  leader 
in  the  New  York  convention  that  adapted  the 
United  States  Constitution,  lived  at  No.  24;  Judge 
Lawrence  at  No.  52;  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman, 
Grand  Sachem  of  the  Tammany  Society,  at  No. 
68;  Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  eminent  lawyer,  at 
No.  70,  and  a  new  large  stone  mansion  newly 
erected  by  Governor  Jay  stood  on  the  east  side 
of  Broadway  below  Wall  Street. 

A  few  years  later,  when  the  State  Capital  had 
been  moved  to  Albany,  the  character  of  Lower 
Broadway  greatly  deteriorated  and  these  houses 
and  others  which  had  been  the  homes  of  notable 
people  had  in  twenty  years  passed  into  the  posses- 
sion of  boarding-house  keepers. 

Pearl  Street  from  John  Street  to  Hanover 
Square  was  a  fashionable  region  in  I  795.  Gov- 
ernor George  Clinton  (whose  term  expired  that 
year),  Lieutenant-Governor  Broome,  and  Richard 
Varick,  then  Mayor,  lived  there;  Isaac  Roosevelt, 
president  of  the  Bank  of  New  York,  fhe  city's 
first  bank,  lived  in  a  comfortable  mansion  at  333 
Pearl  Street  at  Franklin  Square,  and  just  across 
the  way  was  the  Walton  House,  which  had  been 
built  forty  years  before  by  William  Walton,  a 
wealthy  merchant.  It  was  the  architectural  won- 
der of  Provincial  days  and  was  referred  to  in  a 
debate  in  Parliament  as  "an  example  of  Colonial 
extravagance  and  a  proof  of  the  ability  of  the 
people  to  pay  the  royal  taxes."  It  became  the 
first  home  of  the  Bank  of  New  York  from  1  784 
to  I  787  and  afterward  passed  through  several 
stages  of  descent  until  it  became  a  dilapidated 
tenement  and  was  torn  down  in  1881.  Pearl 
Street  had  many  more  distinguished  occupants,  in- 
cluding the  Brinckerhoffs,  the  Jays,  the  Wadding- 
tons,  the  Radcliffes  and  other  socially  prominent 
families.  In  another  and  not  fashionable  section 
of  Pearl  Street  was  located  a  genius  who  was 
destined  to  become  one  of  the  most  famous  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States.  In  an  unpretentious 
store  or  shop  on  Pearl  Street,  between  Cherry 
and  Monroe  Streets,  John  Jacob  Astor  paid  cash 
for  skins  of  muskrats,  beavers  and  raccoons,  sold 
furs  and  also  acted  as  agent  for  the  sale  of  pianos 
made  by  Astor  &  Braidwood  in  London,  of 
which  firm  his  brother  was  the  senior  member. 
He  had  come  from  his  native  town  of  Waldorf 
in  Germany,  near  Heidelberg,  and  built  up  in 
legitimate  mercantile  adventure  a  great  fortune 
which,  invested  with  rare  judgment  in  New  York 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


13 


real  estate,  created  the  famous  Astor  fortune. 
The  fur  trade  was  the  vehicle  of  his  first  great 
success.  He  had  himself  incorporated  as  the 
American  Fur  Company,  bought  out  the  Macki- 
naw Company  and  all  its  forts,  established  a  line 
of  trading  posts  across  Oregon  to  Astoria — which 
was  named  for  him — and  developed  a  rich  China 
trade. 

Some  mteresting  remmiscences  of  this  period 
were  published  in  The  Talisman  of  1829  and 
1  830  under  the  pen-name  of  Francis  Herbert  by 
Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  a  substantial  merchant  who, 
returning  after  several  years'  absence  from  New 
York,  recalled  many  notable  scenes,  incidents  and 
personalities  of  New  York  in  the  last  years  of 


city  in  I  795.  Volney,  distinguished  philosoph- 
ical writer  who  was  saved  from  execution  by  the 
fall  of  Robespierre,  came  here  that  year;  Andre 
Michaux  and  his  son  Francois,  famous  French 
botanists,  first  interpreters  of  our  American  sylva 
to  the  scientists  of  Europe,  were  among  many 
others. 

Wall  Street  had  in  earlier  years  been  the  home 
of  many  prominent  people.  Alexander  Hamilton 
had  only  recently  removed  from  his  home  in  Wall 
Street  to  his  new  Broadway  residence.  General 
Lamb,  distinguished  patriot  and  Revolutionary 
soldier,  had  an  imposing  residence  in  Wall  Street 
near  William  Street  and  held  the  office  of  Col- 
lector of  the  Port.       When  the  City  Hall  was 


Broad  Street  and  Exchange 


the  Eighteenth  Century.  Among  those  in  New 
York  in  I  795  was  the  famous  Duke  de  Talley- 
rand-Perigord,  unfrocked  bishop  and  skeptic,  va- 
riously estimated  as  the  good  angel  or  evil  genius 
of  France  according  to  the  point  of  view,  whose 
"Memoires"  are  replete  with  caustic  epigrams  and 
cynical  analyses.  He  left  France  for  England 
before  the  Terror,  adroitly  evaded  the  omnivor- 
ous appetite  of  "Madame  Guillotine"  by  visiting 
the  United  States  in  I  794  and  remaining  until  it 
was  safe  to  return  to  Paris  in  March.  1  796,  to 
become  for  a  long  period  the  most  influential 
statesman  of  the  Napoleonic  era  in  France.  While 
in  New  York  he  frequented  the  houses  of  Hamil- 
ton and  Noah  Webster. 

Many  other  distinguished  visitors  came  to  the 


turned  over  to  the  United  States  and  became  the 
Federal  Building,  in  which  the  sessions  of  Con- 
gress were  held.  Wall  Street  became  a  great 
shopping  thoroughfare  and  a  fashionable  afternoon 
promenade. 

After  the  capital  was  removed  to  Philadelphia 
the  attraction  of  Wall  Street  as  a  shopping  cen- 
ter diminished  and  its  career  as  the  focus  of  finan- 
cial activities  began.  In  I  795  the  merchants  and 
traders  of  New  York  made  their  principal  meet- 
ing place  the  Tontine  Building  at  Wall  and 
Water  Streets.  In  I  792  there  had  been  a  meet- 
ing of  twenty-four  brokers  of  New  York  under 
a  Cottonwood  tree  opposite  the  building  at  60 
Wall  Street  where  an  agreement  had  been  made 
and  signed  regulating  rates  of  commission.  These 


14 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


brokers  used  tlie  1  online  Building  lor  their  some- 
what irregular  meetings  for  several  years  but  kept 
their  organization  intact  and  developed  it  until  it 
finally  became  the  New  York  Stock  Exchange. 

An  organization  which  had  at  this  time  al- 
ready attained  considerable  prominence,  having  its 
headquarters  in  1 795  at  Harden  s  Tavern,  also 
called  the  City  Tavern,  in  Broadway,  corner 
of  Murray  Street,  was  the  Tammany  Society  or 
Columbian  Order  which  had  been  organized  on 
May  12,  1789,  about  two  weeks  after  General 
Washington  had  taken  the  oath  of  office  as  the 
first  President  of  the  United  States.  The  Order 
of  the  Cincinnati,  made  up  exclusively  of  officers 
in  the  Patriot  Army  and  their  descendants,  had 
been  previously  organized.  7  here  was  consider- 
able criticism  of  that  society,  chiefly  because  of 
its  hereditary  feature.  The  new  society  was  or- 
ganized as  an  association  of  like  patriotic  pur- 
poses without  the  aristocratic  and  hereditary  re- 
strictions of  the  Cincinnati.  It  was  named  after 
Tamanend  or  Tammany,  a  Delaware  brave  who 
had  been  especially  friendly  with  the  European 
settlers  in  Pennsylvania.  It  was  first  called  the 
"St.  Tammany  Society,"  the  "St."  being  real- 
ly an  ironical  mimicry  of  a  number  of  organiza- 
tions referring  to  British  or  other  descent  such  as 
the  St.  George,  St.  Andrew  and  St.  Patrick  So- 
cieties. Tammany  chose  for  itself  a  good  Ameri- 
can saint  or  something  near  it:  for  legend  had 
built  around  that  friendly  redskin  a  record  of 
good  deeds  that  almost  had  the  stamp  of  sanctity. 
For  the  first  few  years  the  Tammany  leaders  and 
the  Cincinnati  fraternized  on  patriotic  celebra- 
tions and  politics  had  not  taken  definite  shape.  But 
the  Cincinnati  were  largely  Federalists  and  the 
Tammany  people,  at  first  by  no  means  politically 
solid,  became  more  and  more  imbued  with  the 
ideas  of  the  Republican  (Democratic)  party,  op- 
posed Federalist  policies,  backed  up  Citizen  Genet 
and  made  vigorous  protest  against  the  Jay  treaty. 
It  was  its  opposition  to  Jay  that  crystallized  the 
political  views  of  Tammany  as  anti-Federal.  Il 
had  some  very  able  men  in  its  ranks.  Josiah 
Ogden  Hoffman,  Chief  Sachem  of  the  society, 
was  one  of  the  city's  most  prominent  lawyers.  De 
Witt  Clinton,  nephew  of  Governor  George  Clin- 
ton, who  was  a  young  man  of  brilliant  gifts, 
was  clerk  of  the  society  at  that  time  but  was  later 
to  become  Tammany's  most  dreaded  opponent. 

According  to  David  T.  Valentine,  long  clerk  of 
the  Common  Council  cf  New  York  and  a  valuable 
contributor  in  his  various  editions  of  the  Corpora- 
tion Manual  to  the  fund  of  knowledge  of  local 
history — and  chronicler  also  of  Tammany,  of 
which  he  was  an  influential  member — the  dcmoc 
racy  of  Tammany  was  practicallv  crystallized  in 
1795.  He  tells  us  that  in  that  year,  "at  the 
time  of  excitement  about  the  lay  treaty. ,  the  mi- 
nority of  the  United  States  Senate,  who  voted 


against  il,  were  to:isted  by  the  Society;  so  it  would 
appear  that  Federalism  in  it,  at  that  time,  was  not 
remarkably  strong."  This  is  very  true  and  by 
the  date  of  1800,  when  the  Jefferson  candidacy 
brought  about  the  practical  extinction  of  the  Fed 
eral  party,  Tammany  to  a  man  backed  the  Sage  of 
Monticello. 

Yet  there  was  no  single  measure  of  government 
during  the  first  two  administrations  which  did  more 
for  the  material  prosperity  of  the  United  States 
than  the  Jay  treaty.  It  brought  about  a  new 
birth  of  commercial  freedom  and  with  it  a  large 
and  immediate  accession  of  commerce  to  New 
York.  General  Frederick  Dent  Grant  in  an  ad- 
dress on  the  centennial  anniversary  of  the  treaty 
m   1895,  said: 

"The  results  of  the  treaty  were  immediate  and 
salutary.  War  was  averted  and  confidence  re- 
stored. Foreign  trade  jumped  from  $67,643,725 
in  1794  to  $11  7,746,140  m  1795;  and  in  1796 
it  reached  $140,010,789  in  amount.  Shipbuild- 
ing in  America  received  its  first  great  impetus. 
Though  foreign  trade  more  than  doubled  from 
I  794  to  1  796  the  proportion  of  trade  in  American- 
built  ships  was  only  86  per  cent,  of  the  whole 
in  1  794  and  in  I  796  it  was  90  per  cent,  of  the 
whole.  Up  to  1810  the  steady  growth  continued 
with  some  slight  fluctuations." 

Grant  Thorburn,  who  in  New  York  founded  a 
pioneer  seed  house,  came  to  the  city  from  Scotland 
in  1  794  and  engaged  at  first  as  a  nailmaker,  forg- 
ing the  nails  by  hand.  His  experience  coincides 
with  general  accounts  of  the  prevalence  of  those 
of  Dutch  ancestry  in  the  population  of  New  York. 
When  he  arrived,  he  said  in  his  reminiscences,  he 
saw  all  things  in  the  Dutch  character:  "Dutch 
houses,  goods  and  manners,  also  Dutch  words, 
Dutch  m.en,  and  Dutch  lasses.  The  great  m.a- 
jority  of  vessels  were  then  advertised  as  bound  foi 
Amsterdam  and  Rotterdam,  and  but  few  at  thai 
time  for  Liverpool  and  London.  The  Bear  (now 
Washington)  Market  was  supplied  principally 
from  Haverstraw,  Hackensack,  Bergen,  and  Com- 
munipaw  and  unless  you  could  talk  a  good  portion 
of  Dutch  it  was  of  little  use  to  go  there  to  traffic." 
The  Paas  (Easter)  and  Pinxter  (Whitsuntide) 
holidays  were  then  of  universal  observance.  Mr. 
Thorburn  told  ruefully  how  he  had  saved  a  little 
sum  for  the  purpose  of  joyfully  observing  the  Paas 
festivities  but,  having  heard  that  out-of-town  lots 
located  where  Leonard  Street  now  runs  into  Broad- 
way were  selling  at  fifteen  dollars  a  lot,  he  made 
up  his  mind  to  buy  one,  believing  it  would  increase 
in  value,  but  a  companion  argued  him  out  of  his 
resolution  and  he  spent  the  money  enjoying  the 
season's  amusements.  He  recalled  forty  years 
later  thai  his  lot,  if  he  had  bought  it.  would  then 
be  worth  three  hundred  dollars.  Mr.  Thorburn's 
reminiscences  contain  many  interesting  statements  of 
social  conditions  in  1  795,  one  item  concerning  the 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


15 


medical  profession  of  that  day  being  that  Dr. 
Charlton  was  the  only  doctor  then  in  New  York 
who  "kept  a  gig,  "  which  seems  to  reveal  con- 
ditions as  woefully  primitive  in  comparison  with 
these  present  days  of  motoring  medicos.  Dr 
Charlton  was,  however,  a  very  notable  practitioner, 
an  Englishman  who  began  his  practice  in  New 
York  in  I  762,  married  into  the  prominent  DePey- 
ster  family,  lived  on  Long  Island  during  five  years 
of  the  war  and  returned  to  the  city  in  t  781.  He 
had  a  fashionable  clientele  and  became  a  wealthy 
man.  Dr.  Samuel  Bard,  professor  of  theory  and 
practice  of  physic  m  Columbia  College  and  one 
of  the  founders  in  I  769  of  the  New  York  Hos- 
pital;  Dr.  John  Cochrane,  who  had  been  director- 
general  of  United  States  hospitals  in  the  Revolu- 


icine.  They  and  the  other  physicians  of  1  795 
were  all  busy  that  year  because  of  a  visitation  of 
yellow  fever  said  to  have  been  brought  to  the  port 
by  a  British  frigate  which  visited  the  harbor. 

Yellow  fever  had  visited  New  York  before, 
first  in  1702.  In  1791  it  had  appeared  in  late 
autumn  but  was  soon  stopped  by  frost.  In  I  795, 
however,  it  manifested  its  presence  early  in  August. 
The  disease  spread  rapidly  and  though  great  num- 
bers of  the  citizens  fled  in  terror  to  country  places 
there  were  seven  hundred  and  thirty-two  deaths 
from  that  disease.  The  New  York  Journal  of 
October  1  7,  I  795,  declared  that  the  visitation  was 
practically  over  and  that  of  those  who  had  the  dis- 
ease not  more  than  one  in  twenty  died  and  that 
its  victims  were  for  the  greater  part  new  residents. 


View  of  Federal  Hall  and  Part  of  Broad  Street.  1796. 


tion ;  Dr.  Richard  Bayley,  who  was  appointed 
health  officer  of  the  port  in  I  793,  and  known  as 
"father  of  the  Quarantine  Act  of  1799";  Dr. 
Samuel  Latham  Mitchill  who,  besides  eminence 
in  medicine  gained  distinction  as  a  scientist  (often 
referred  to  as  the  "Nestor  of  American  Science"), 
as  a  classical  scholar  and  linguist,  as  a  philosopher 
and  a  scholar  of  widest  learning,  and  as  a  public 
man,  serving  in  the  New  York  Legislature,  and  in 
Congress  as  Representative  and  Senator;  Dr.  Nich- 
olas Romaine,  lecturer  on  many  branches  of 
medicine;  Dr.  George  Christian  Anthon,  authority 
on  yellow  fever;  Dr.  Wright  Post,  professor  of 
anatomy  in  Columbia  College  and  the  most  ad- 
vanced American  surgeon  of  that  period;  these  are 
names  historical  in  the  annals  of  American  med- 


The  cessation  of  the  epidemic  in  I  795  was  made 
the  occasion  for  the  initiation  by  Governor  Jay  of 
the  practice  of  proclaiming  a  Thanksgiving  Day 
for  the  State.  He  named  November  26th  for  the 
day  and  asked  that  all  should  render  thanks  for 
the  ending  of  the  visitation.  It  is  a  peculiar  illus- 
tration of  the  acrimony  of  political  contention  of 
that  period  that  this  act  of  Jay  was  made  the 
target  of  bitter  censure.  He  was  accused  of  aris- 
tocratic or  federalist  assumption  in  attempting  to 
dictate  to  the  people  anything  about  their  religious 
conduct.  As  many  of  those  thus  criticizing  Jay 
were  at  the  time  carried  into  the  whirlpool  of 
atheism  by  Thomas  'Paine's  "Age  of  Reason," 
any  favorable  reference  to  the  Almighty  would 
naturally  be  distasteful  to    them,   but    the  public 


16 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


generally  approved  the  proclamation  and  observed 
it  faithfully. 

Public  education  has  reason  to  look  back  with 
interest  to  I  795  because  that  year  saw  the  first 
State  recognition  of  common  schools  as  subjects  of 
its  solicitude.  Prior  to  this  liberal  provisions  had 
been  made  for  colleges  and  institutions  of  higher 
education  but  none  for  the  common  schools.  Gov- 
ernor George  Clinton,  who  had  been  ex-officio 
Regent  and  Chancellor  of  the  University  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  recommended  in  his  last  an- 
nual message  that  there  should  be  an  .endowment 
for  the  common  schools  of  the  State.  As  a  result 
a  bill  was  passed  in  April,  I  795,  appropriating 
fifty  thousand  dollars  annually  for  five  years  for 
the  maintenance  of  common  schools  in  the  various 
towns  of  the  State. 

Another  important  event  of  an  educational  char- 
acter was  the  completicm  in  I  795  of  the  first  build- 
ing for  the  accommodation  of  the  New  York  So- 
ciety Library,  the  earliest  loan  library  in  America. 
The  new  building  was  located  in  Nassau  Street  at 
the  corner  of  Cedar  Street. 

Slavery  still  existed  in  New  York  in  I  795.  All 
of  the  prominent  families  of  the  city  owned  hooise- 
hold  and  other  servants.  The  newspapers  of  the 
period  carried  advertisements  of  sale  of  slaves, 
and  of  runaw-ay  slaves  for  whose  apprehension  and 
return  rewards  were  offered.  As  early  as  1  785 
a  society  had  been  formed  with  the  title  of  The 
Society  for  Promoting  the  Manumission  of  Slaves 
and  for  Protecting  Such  of  Them  as  Have  Been 
or  May  Be  Liberated.  John  Jay  was  president 
of  this  society  though  he  himself  owned  slaves. 
He  explained  that  it  was  his  policy  to  purchase 
slaves  and  to  manumit  them  at  proper  ages  and 
when  their  faithful  services  afforded  a  reasonable 
recompense.  As  Governor  he  adopted  the  policy 
of  recommending  legislation  for  the  gradual  abo- 
lition of  slavery  in  New  York  State,  but  the 
fruition  of  this  in  legislation  did  not  come  until  four 
years  later,  during  Jay's  second  term,  the  first  bill 
for  gradual  emancipation,  introduced  in  1  795,  be- 
ing defeated  in  the  Legislature  by  a  tie  vote  in 
January,   I  796. 

Little  had  been  done  toward  grading  the 
thoroughfares  and  roads  of  the  city.  The  Bowery 
Road,  being  part  of  the  Boston  iPost  Road,  had 
houses  as  far  as  Grand  Street,  on  both  sides,  but 
otherwise  on  the  East  Side  north  of  Division  Street 
and  east  of  Montgomery  Street  was  very  sparsely 
settled.  On  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Tombs 
Prison  and  several  nearby  blocks  was  a  large 
body  of  water,  the  Collect  Pond,  or  Fresh  Water 
Pond,  once  a  translucent  lake  fed  by  springs  and 
forming  the  chief  source  of  water  supply  for  the 
city.  In  the  early  days  the  murder  of  an  Indian 
on  its  banks  was  the  cause  of  a  serious  uprising 
and  in  the  city's  history  the  name  of  this  pond  is 
always  recurring.     In  1781  during  the  British  oc- 


cupation It  was  visited  by  Prince  William  Henry, 
Duke  of  Clarence  (afterward  King  William  IV. 
of  England),  who  was  then  a  midshipman  in  Ad- 
miral Digby's  squadron.  He  went  to  the  Collect 
to  skate,  piloted  by  a  young  man  from  Duchess 
County  named  Halleck.  While  he  was  skating 
the  ice  broke  and  the  young  prince  slipped  through 
into  the  frigid  waters,  from  which  he  was  rescued 
by  young  Halleck,  who  later  became  father  of 
Fitz-Greene  Halleck,  the  poet.  West  of  the  Col- 
lect, stretching  away  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Hudson  Shore,  was  a  tract  of  low  swampy  land 
known  as  Lispenard's  Meadows,  through  which 
later  a  canal  was  dug  in  the  center  of  what  is 
now  Canal  Street.  Further  northwest  was  an- 
other considerable  tract  of  swampy  ground  bound- 
ing the  southern  end  of  Greenwich  Village.  At 
the  junction  of  Greenwich  and  Albany  roads  the 
Potter's  Field  had  been  removed  the  year  before 
from  a  location  downtown,  but  did  not  remain 
there  very  long,  being  again  located  in  1801  in 
what  is  now  Washington  Square. 

The  ferry  to  Brooklyn  started  from  the  Fly 
Market  slip  at  the  foot  of  Maiden  Lane  and  was 
by  sail-boat,  the  fare  being  ten  cents.  When  the 
wind  was  contrary  the  passenger  was  given  a  good 
long  voyage  for  his  money.  The  ferry  to  Staten 
Island  was  also  accomplished  by  sail  boat  and  in 
stormy  weather  was  a  fairly  formidable  undertak- 
ing. The  ferries  to  Paulus  Hook,  Pavonia, 
which  later  became  Jersey  City,  and  to  other 
places  on  the  New  Jersey  side  of  the  river  were  in 
rowboats  and  barges  propelled  by  oars  or  occasion- 
ally by  sailboats  when  the  wind  set  fair. 

Art  as  a  profession  had  not  progressed  very  far 
in  New  York.  There  were  a  few  American  ar- 
tists who  had  obtained  distinction  in  portraiture, 
but  at  this  date  they  were  principally  located  in 
Philadelphia  where  the  "Republican  Court"  was 
situated  and  followed  the  capital,  later,  to  Wash- 
ington. In  I  795  the  professional  artists  of  New 
York  were  miniaturists,  including  Walter  Robert- 
son, John  Ramage,  Joseph  Wood  and  others.  The 
sole  sculptor  of  New  York  at  that  time  who  had 
made  any  reputation  was  John  Dixey,  who  came 
from  Ireland  in  1 789.  The  only  important 
public  monument  in  the  city  was  the  statue  of 
General  Richard  Montgomery,  which  still  adorns 
the  eastern  portal  of  St.  Paul's  Church  in 
Broadway.  It  was  the  work  of  Caffieri,  a  Parisian 
sculptor. 

In  architecture  the  city  had  some  very  attractive 
exteriors  to  its  credit.  The  ornate  quality  of  the 
Walton  House  in  Franklin  Square  has  already 
been  referred  to  and  the  new  residence  of  Governor 
John  Jay  in  Broadway.  The  Kennedy  House  at 
No.  i  Broadway  was  also  a  fine  residence,  built 
in  1  760  by  Captain  Kennedy,  who  afterward  be- 
came the  Earl  of  Cassilis.  At  39  Broadway  was 
the  Bunker  Mansion  House,  which  had  been  the 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


17 


residence  of  Washington  during  the  second  session 
of  Congress. 

In  buildings  of  a  more  pubhc  character  some  ot 
the  most  notable  were  the  City  Hall  in  Wall 
Street,  occupying  the  site  of  the  present  Sub- 
Treasury  ;  Government  House,  then  used  as  the 
official  residence  of  the  Governor  on  the  site  of  the 
old  Fort  and  the  present  Custom  House;  the  Mer- 
chants' Exchange,  at  the  intersection  of  Broad  and 
Bridge  Streets;  St.  Paul's  Church,  built  in  1766, 
substantially  as  it  exists  today;  the  Middle  Dutch 
Church  in  Nassau  Street,  which  had  been  used 
as  a  jail  for  military  prisoners  during  the  British 
occupation  but  restored  after  the  war;  The  North 
Dutch  Church  in    William    Street,  a  substantial 


dential  districts  of  the  city.  The  church  became 
an  independent  parish  in  1812,  but  remained  at 
that  location  until  1 843.  The  Lutherans  were 
represented  by  Christ  Church,  a  stone  building  at 
the  corner  of  William  and  Nassau  Streets;  and 
there  was  a  German  Reformed  Church  in  Nassau 
Street  near  John  Street.  The  Presbyterians  had 
an  old  stone  church  in  Wall  Street,  erected  in 
1719  and  enlarged  in  1748.  and  the  Brick 
Church  in  Beekman  Street,  which  carried  its  name 
with  it  when  it  moved  to  Fifth  Avenue  and  Thirty- 
seventh  Street  in  1857.  There  was  also  the 
Scotch  Presbyterian  Church  in  Cedar  Street. 
Methodism,  which  had  its  American  birth  in  I  766, 
had  in  1795  three  New  York  churches:  Wesley 


brown-stone  building  with  a  tiled  roof;  Trinity 
Church,  built  to  take  the  place  of  the  building 
which  had  been  destroyed  in  the  fire  which  con- 
sumed a  large  section  of  the  city  on  September  25, 
I  776,  ten  days  after  the  British  forces  established 
themselves  in  New  York.  This  second  building 
was  started  in  1 708  and  finished  in  I  790,  and 
dedicated  March  25,  1791.  It  was  an  imposing 
Gothic  structure  surmounted  with  a  tall  spire 
and  furnished  with  a  chime  of  bells  which  was  one 
of  the  prized  attractions  of  the  city.  Trinity  also 
had  a  chapel,  St.  George's,  at  the  corner  of 
Cliff  and  Beekman  Streets,  erected  in  I  752  when 
that  locality  was  the  center  of  one  of  the  best  resi- 


Chapel,  the  mother  church,  in  John  Street;  the 
second  church,  built  in  Forsyth  Street  in  1  790, 
and  a  third  which  was  erected  in  Duane  Street 
in  1  795.  The  only  Roman  Catholic  Church  in 
the  city  was  St.  Peter's  Church  in  Barclay  Street, 
built  in  I  786  on  the  site  of  the  present  building 
which  succeeded  it  in  1836.  The  Friends  had 
meeting  houses  in  Liberty  Street  and  Pearl  Street ; 
the  Moravians  had  a  Church  in  Partition  (now 
Fulton)  Street,  near  William  Street,  and  the  Jews 
had  a  neat  stone  synagogue  in  Mill  Street.  The 
Baptists  had  two  churches,  one  in  Gold  Street 
near  Fulton,  built  in  I  790,  and  a  new  one  built 
in  I  795  in  Oliver  Street.     Not  all  these  buildings 


18 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


liad  aichitcclural  piftensions  bul  tlicii  eiiuiiieration 
serves  to  illustrate  the  fact  that  there  was  ample 
provision  made  to  care  for  the  religious  needs  of 
the  New  Yorkers  of  that  day.  It  is  safe  to  say 
that  these  churches  drew  a  much  larger  percentage 
of  the  population  to  their  services  than  is  the  case 
in  our  times,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  a  large 
number  were  carried  away  by  the  wave  of  skep- 
ticism set  in  motion  by  Paine's  "Age  of  Reason.  " 

Higher  educatiom  was  represented  by  Columbia 
College,  which  had  been  established  as  King's 
College  in  I  755,  was  used  first  as  a  barracks  and 
later  as  a  military  hospital  during  the  British  oc- 
cupation, was  rechartered  by  the  New  York  Leg- 
islature in  1  787  as  Columbia  College,  and  entered 
upon  a  prosperous  and  influential  career.  In  I  793 
it  had  about  one  hundred  students  attending  its 
classical  course  and  fifty  students  in  medicine.  In 
connection  with  it  was  the  Columbia  Grammar 
School,  probably  the  most  thorough  and  complete 
of  the  secondary  schools  of  New  York.  Another 
good  educational  institution  was  Old  Dutch  Col- 
legiate Church  School  which  prepared  its  pupils 
for  college.  Because  of  its  denominational  con- 
nection most  of  the  students  from  this  school  who 
continued  by  entering  college  chose  Rutgers,  which 
had  formerly  been  the  Queen's  College.  At  the 
time  of  the  establishing  of  King's  College  by  royal 
charter  it  was  as  were  all  other  royally  chartered 
colleges  closely  connected  with  the  church  establish- 
ment. As  a  measure  of  conciliation  the  authorities 
in  England  had  adopted  the  plan  of  helping  the 
Dutch  Reformed  Church  and  its  auxiliary  institu- 
tions and  had  therefore  established  Queen's  College 
in  New  Jersey  in  alignment  with  that  church. 

The  only  bank  in  New  York  in  I  795  was  the 
Bank  of  New  York,  of  which  Isaac  Roosevelt 
was  president.  The  bank  was  established  in  1  784, 
the  prime  movers  in  its  organization  being  William 
Duer  and  General  Alexander  McDougal  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame.  The  latter  was  president  of  the 
bank  from  the  time  it  was  chartered  until  his  death, 
two  years  later. 

There  were  various  newspapers  published  in 
New  York  at  that  time,  some  daily,  some  weekly. 
Among  those  that  had  been  going  longest  (although 
none  dated  further  back  than  the  evacuation  of 
New  York  by  the  British)  were  the  New  York 
Journal,  the  Daily  Advertiser,  and  the  Daily  Ga- 
zette. Perusal  of  these  papers  shows  that  few  of 
them  published  leading  articles.  To  this,  however, 
there  was  an  exception  in  a  then  recently  estab- 
lished newspaper  first  called  Minerva,  and  after- 
ward the  Commercial  Advertiser.  Its  projector 
and  then  editor  was  Noah  Webster,  who  made  it 
the  vehicle  of  much  and  earnest  criticism  and  ar- 
gument on  matters  of  public  welfare.  Topics  of 
political  and  other  interest  are  in  those  papers 
largely  discussed  by  contributors  who  use  pen- 
names,  as  Alexander  Hamilton  signed  Camillus 


or  PuIjIius  and  other  names  less  classic.  Many 
of  these  critics  had  little  regard  for  the  words 
used  if  only  they  were  sufficiently  biting.  Besides 
newspaper  contributors  there  were  numerous 
pamphleteers  no  less  virulent. 

The  Jay  Treaty,  which  is  the  outstanding  event 
that  makes  1  795  a  red-letter  year  in  American 
commerce,  was  in  effect  a  charter  of  American 
commercial  liberty,  bringing  to  this  country  a  sub- 
stantial share  in  that  "freedom  of  the  seas"  of 
which  we  have  heard  so  much  in  the  past  few 
war-wracked  years.  In  securing  for  our  vessels 
immunity  from  Great  Britain's  privateers  the  treaty 
opened  up  commercial  inlets  and  outlets  which 
have  since  been  (except  for  a  few  years  of  later 
misunderstanding  and  conflict  with  Britain)  very 
significant  factors  in  the  commercial  prosperity  of 
our  great  Republic.  At  first  this  new  commercial 
life  was  voiceless.  The  newspapers  of  the  day 
were  immersed  and  saturated  with  politics  and  par- 
tisan venom.  So  far  as  tone  is  concerned 
Chauncey  M.  Depew  was  not  far  wrong  when  in 
a  speech  made  a  hundred  years  later  he  declared 
that  the  newspapers  of  1  795  were  a  disgrace  to 
the  period  "which  in  their  fullness  of  epithet  and 
foulness  of  slander  surpassed  any  of  the  present 
day.  ^'ou  take  the  worst  papers  we  have  today," 
continued  Mr.  Depew,  "and  they  are  of  Addison- 
ian cleanliness  compared  with  the  newspapers  of 
Washington's  generation." 

These  papers  paid  little  or  no  attention  to  busi- 
ness news  and  furnished  no  means  of  communica- 
tion for  merchants  and  business  men  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  The  opening  for  such  a 
medium  appealed  to  Mr.  James  Oram,  an  enter- 
prising New  York  printer,  and  on  December  19. 
1795,  he  issued  a  little  paper  the  size  of  a  letter 
sheet  under  the  title  of  New  York  Prices  Current. 
The  office  was  at  33  Liberty  Street,  the  name  of 
which  had  been  recently  changed  from  Crown 
Street,  and  it  was  published  every  Monday.  It 
was  a  mere  list  of  prices  but  it  grew  with  the 
years,  other  publications  being  combined  with  it, 
a  continuous  line  of  publications  now  consolidated 
in  the  New  York  Commercial,  which  is  thus  the 
oldest  commercial  paper  in  America  and  like  its 
earliest  progenitor  is  purely  and  absolutely  a  paper 
devoted  to  business  interests. 

John  Street  Theatre,  which  was  opened  in  1  767, 
was  the  only  theatre  in  New  York  in  1  795.  It 
had  an  interesting  career  in  pre-Revolution  days 
and  during  the  British  occupation  was  renamed  the 
Royal  Theatre  and  was  the  center  of  dramatic 
attraction  for  the  officers  of  the  British  Army  and 
the  Tory  belles  and  beaux.  After  the  British  left 
it  resumed  its  old  and  more  Republican  name  and, 
while  other  theatres  were  opened  and  closed,  was 
the  only  one  that  persisted.  Lewis  Hallam  was 
the  manager  of  the  theatre  during  the  years  when 
Congress  was  in   New   York    and   there   was  a 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


19 


special  stage  box  in  which  on  several  occasions 
President  Washington  and  Vice-President  Adams 
viewed  the  performance  together.  The  building, 
which  was  near  Broadway,  was  large  but  by  no 
means  elegant  and  had  become  considerably  di- 
lapidated by  I  795.  The  yellow  fever  caused  it 
to  be  closed  in  the  fall  after  a  prosperous  winter 
and  spring  season. 

Ricketts,  a  skilful  equestrian  who  had  made 
quite  a  professional  success  in  Philadelphia,  came 
to  New  York  in  1  795  and  opened  his  New  Am- 
phitheatre, which  he  conducted  for  two  years,  after 
which  Wignell  &  Reinaglo  of  Philadelphia  be- 
came lessees  of  the  house  and  reopened  it  as  the 
Greenwich  Street  Summer  Theatre. 


mous  backer  of  the  Jay  treaty  and  the  relief  it 
brought  to  American  commercial  interests.  Com- 
fort Sands,  who  was  its  President  in  1  795,  was 
a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  I  748  and  died 
at  a  ripe  old  age  in  1834.  He  was  a  prominent 
and  successful  merchant  in  New  York  City  and 
an  active  patriot  throughout  the  Revolutionary  war, 
served  as  a  member  of  the  New  York  Congress 
and  auditor  of  public  accounts  from  I  776  to 
I  88 1 .  He  was  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  was 
identified  with  all  the  movements  for  mercantile 
progress. 

Among  the  evidences  of  trade  progress  may  be 
given  the  relative  totals  of  tonnage  as  reported  by 
the  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  by  which  the  rel- 


The  beginning  of  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  his- 
toric dramatic  enterprises  of  New  York  occurred  in 
1  795  in  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  of  the  Park 
Theatre  in  Park  Row,  facing  the  lower  end  of  the 
Common  (now  City  Hall  Park),  upon  which  the 
Post  Office  now  stands  and  extending  back  to 
Theatre  Alley.  It  was  not  ready  for  occupancy 
until  1  798,  when  it  entered  upon  a  career  of  great 
brilliancy. 

Of  commercial  organizations  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  State  of  New  "^'ork  was  the 
most  prominent.  It  had  been  incorporated  under 
royal  charter  in  the  pre-Revolutionary  period  and 
had  its  charter  renewed  by  the  State  after  peace 
was  declared.  It  was  then  as  it  has  always  been 
a  very  efficient  representative  of  the  interests  of  the 
business  community  and  was  a  sturdy  and  unani- 


ative  volume  of  the  foreign  trade  in  1  79 1  put 
Massachusetts  first,  Pennsylvania  second,  Virginia 
third.  New  York  fourth  and  Maryland  fifth.  In 
1 800  the  order  ^vas  reversed.  New  York  be- 
ing first  with  a  third  more  business  tfian  Phila- 
delphia, which  was  next,  Baltimore  third,  Boston 
lourth  and  the  Southern  ports  far  behind.  New 
"\  ork  has  ever  since  held  its  forward  place,  in- 
creasing both  in  actual  and  relative  volume  of 
commerce. 

The  year  1  795  was  a  turning  point  though  its 
condition  in  every  way  contrasts  strangely  with  the 
changes  which  have  brought  to  the  New  York  of 
today  the  claim  to  be  the  world's  largest  and  most 
prosperous  business  and  commercial  center.  When 
we  think  of  that  period  we  have  to  think  about  a 
city  without  gas,  without  anything  we  could  call 


20 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


water  supply,  without  railways,  omnibuses  or  any 
public  transportation  service,  without  free  schools, 
lecture  courses,  public  libraries,  without  museums 
except  a  small  collection  of  historical  relics  which 
had  been  collected  in  a  room  under  I  ammany  aus- 
pices; yet  a  place  where  there  were  many  men  of 
talent  and  earnestness  working  toward  better  things; 
men  who  in  that  unkempt  day  were  laying  founda- 


tions for  the  developments  ol  which  we  now  enjoy 
the  fruition.  The  steps  of  this  development  will 
be  the  theme  of  the  subsequent  chapters  which  will 
attempt  to  briefly  outline  the  evolution  from  the 
New  York  of  I  795  to  the  city  of  today,  in  all 
its  important  avenues  of  municipal,  social  and  com- 
mercial advancement,  and  the  unfolding  of  its 
international  prestige. 


The  Dutch  "Stadt  Huys"— First  City  Hall. 


CHAPTER  TWO 


Three  Constructive  Decades 


Politics  and  Progress — Hamilton,  Burr,  the  Clintons  and  the  Livingstons 
— De  Witt  Clinton  and  the  Canal — Town  Laid  Out. 


THE  twenty  years  between  1  795  and  the  end 
of  the  second  war  with  England  were  crowded 
with  change  and  progress  in  the  City  of  New- 
York.  John  Jay,  elected  1795,  was  re-elected 
in  1  798,  and  thus  held  the  executive  office  for  six 
years,  ending  in  I  SOL  In  1797  the  capital  was 
removed  to  Albany  so  that  the  doings  of  the  Leg- 
islature were  no  longer  local  to  New  York  City. 
Among  the  important  legislation  was  a  revision  of 
the  Penal  Code,  which  greatly  reduced  the  num- 
ber of  offenses  punishable  with  death.  A  bill  was 
introduced  into  the  Legislature  of  1  799  in  Jay's 
second  term  for  the  gradual  emancipation  of  the 
slaves  in  the  State.  A  similar  bill  had  been  de- 
feated in  the  Legislature  of  I  796  by  a  tie  vote  in 
Committee  of  the  Whole,  the  chairman  giving  the 
casting  vote  against  it.  But  this  second  attempt 
was  much  more  successful,  providing  a  very  easy 
way  of  "tapering  off"  on  slavery  and  it  met  with 
very  little  opposition.  By  its  provisions  all  negroes 
born  after  July  4,  1  799,  were  to  be  free.  They 
were,  however,  required  to  serve  an  apprenticeship 
until  they  were  twenty-eight  years  old  if  males,  or 
twenty-five  years  old  if  females.  The  exportation 
provision  was  a  very  necessary  one  because  the 
farmer  tie-vote  in  1  796  had  led  slave-owners  in 
New  York  to  a  belief  that  abolition  was  certain 
to  come  and  a  large  number  of  negroes  had  been 
sent  South  to  be  sold  and  thus  save  the  owners 
from  loss. 

A  State  penitentiary  was  built  in  New  York  in 
1  796,  located  in  Greenwich  Village  near  the  Hud- 
son River  bank,  and  in  the  same  year  a  measure 
of  great  sanitary  value  was  the  establishing  on  Bed- 
loe's  Island  of  a  retreat  where  sufferers  from  con- 
tagious diseases  could  be  segregated  and  thus  re- 
tard the  spread  of  contagion  and  where  they  could 
also  secure  the  best  treatment  for  the  alleviation 
and  cure  of  such  disease. 

The  end  of  Washington's  term  and  the  election 


of  John  Adams  as  President  and  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son as  Vice-President  accentuated  partisan  acri- 
mony. Such  a  bi-partisan  result  was  highly  prob- 
able under  the  original  mode  of  elections  for  Presi- 
dent and  Vice-President,  a  result  that  failed  to 
satisfy  either  set  of  partisans.  It  brought  Aaron 
Burr,  brilliant  and  magnetic,  into  great  prominence 
on  the  Republican-Democratic  side  of  politics  in 
New  York,  while  Alexander  Hamilton  was  the 
unquestioned  leader  an  the  Federal  side.  The  per- 
sonal aspect  of  local  journalism  was  more  and  more 
emphasized.  Some  of  the  anti-Federalist  news- 
papers and  individuals  had  such  a  high  personal 
regard  for  George  Washington  that  they  refrained 
from  attacking  him  although  Bache's  "Aurora"  in 
Philadelphia  and  some  writers  in  New  York  and 
elsewhere  played  no  favorites  and  hit  a  Federalist 
head,  even  George  Washington's,  when  it  came 
within  range.  But  when  he  retired  from  the 
Presidency,  at  the  end  of  his  second  term,  he 
went  with  such  universal  regard  of  the  people  that 
his  political  enemies  refrained  from  further  adverse 
comment.  But  John  Adams  was  no  such  popular 
hero.  He  was  the  embodiment  of  Federalism  and 
therefore  an  anathema  to  all  the  Republican  scribes. 

The  death  of  George  Washington  on  December 
14,  1  799,  came  suddenly.  The  fact  that  it  took 
five  days  for  the  news  to  come  from  Mount  Ver- 
non, Virginia,  to  New  York  is  one  of  the  facts 
of  history  which  illuminate  the  vast  distance  be- 
tween the  methods  of  the  dying  Eighteenth  and 
the  opening  Twentieth  Centuries.  When  the  news 
came,  on  December  1 9,  arrangements  were  made 
for  a  public  funeral  procession  and  an  appropriate 
service  at  St.  Paul's  Church,  where  Washington 
had  a  pew  during  his  residence,  as  President,  in 
New  York.  In  the  procession  an  urn  mounted 
upon  a  bier  represented  the  corpse  and  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Society  of  the  City  appeared  as  chief 
mourners,  followed  by  other  officers  of  the  War  of 


NEW    YORK^OED    AND  NEW 


Independence,  civil  olliceis  ol  the  C  ity,  State  and 
Federal  governments,  consular  representatives  of 
Great  Britain  and  Spain  and  members  of  all  so- 
cieties and  lodges  in  the  city.  Bishop  Prevoost 
read  appropriate  prayers  at  St.  Paul's  and  Gouv- 
erneur  Morris  delivered  an  oration.  President 
Adams,  by  proclamation,  set  apart  Washington's 
birthday,  February  22.  1800,  as  a  day  of  national 
devotion  and  prayer  in  memorium  of  the  great 
commander  and  President.  All  business  was  sus- 
pended on  that  day  and  the  city  officials  and  the 
Cincinnati  attended  services  in  the  Dutch  Reformed 
Church  where  Rev.  Dr.  William  Linn,  reputed  to 
have  been  the  greatest  pulpit  orator  of  his  day,  de- 
livered a  most  eloquent  eulogy  on  the  life  and 
character  of  Washington. 

In  the  presidential  election  of  1800  the  consti- 
tutional provision  that  each  presidential  elector 
should  have  two  voles  which  must  not  be  cast 
for  two  residents  of  any  one  State  led  to  a  result 
which  greatly  affected  political  history  in  New 
York  City.  The  two  Republican-Democratic  can- 
didates, Thomas  Jefferson  and  Aaron  Burr,  re- 
ceived seventy-three  votes  each  while  the  Federal- 
ist candidates  received:  John  Adams,  sixty-five 
votes;  Charles  Cotes  Pinckney,  sixty-four  votes; 
and  John  Jay,  one  vote.  In  the  campaign  Burr 
had  been  assumed  to  be  the  Republican  candidate 
for  Vice-President,  and  Jefferson  for  President. 
But  from  a  constitutional  point  of  view,  the  tie 
(hrowing  the  election  into  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, it  would  be  as  legal  to  make  Burr  President 
and  Jefferson  Vice-President  as  to  make  a  choice 
the  other  way  about.  Burr,  who  had  no  superior 
as  a  campaigner  and  was  intensely  popular  with 
politicians,  especially  in  the  Northern  States,  went 
after  the  higher  prize  with  all  the  power  of  intrigue 
and  finesse  of  which  he  was  master.  Thirty-six 
ballots  in  the  House  were  ineffectual,  the  votes  of 
the  Federalists  being  so  split  as  between  Jefferson 
and  Burr  as  to  retain  a  tie.  Alexander  Hamilton, 
while  personally  on  friendly  terms  with  Burr, 
far  more  so  than  with  Jefferson,  nevertheless 
regarded  Burr  as  an  especially  unsafe  man 
for  President.  He  therefore  used  his  personal  in- 
fluence with  James  Addison  Bayard,  a  Federalist 
of  Delaware,  who  had  been  voting  for  Burr,  to 
change  his  vote  to  Jefferson  on  the  thirty-seventh 
ballot,  thereby  making  him  President  and  Burr  au- 
tomatically, Vice-President.  The  danger  of  such 
a  situation  so  impressed  itself  upon  the  country  that 
before  the  next  Presidential  election  the  method  of 
electing  the  President  and  Vice-President  had  been 
changed  to  the  present  plan.  George  Clinton, 
who  had  been  Jay's  predecessor,  was  re-elected 
Governor  in  April,  1802. 

Burr  had  lost  his  position  of  popularity  in  the 
Republican-Democratic  party  and  was  not  men- 
tioned   for    Vice-President    in    1 804,  Governor 


George  C  linton  being  the  nominee  lor  that  olfice 
and,  the  Clinton  and  Livingston  families  being  in 
active  control  of  the  machinery  of  the  party,  met 
his  efforts  to  secure  the  nomination  for  governor 
with  active  opposition,  securing  that  nomination  for 
Chief  Justice  Morgan  Lewis,  who  was  a  brother- 
in-law  of  ex-Chancellor  Robert  R.  Livingston. 
Burr  then  tried  to  get  the  Federalist  Party  to  nom- 
inate him  but  Hamilton  was  all-powerful  there  and 
his  opinion  of  Aaron  Burr's  dependability  had  in 
nowise  improved.  Chancellor  Lansing  was  nomi- 
nated by  the  Federalists  but  declined  to  make  the 
race  for  Governor.  Burr  thereupon  announced 
himself  as  an  independent  candidate,  believing  that 
the  desire  to  defeat  the  regular  Republican-Demo- 
cratic candidate  would  lead  the  Federalists,  who 
had  no  nominee,  to  support  him  and  calculating 
that  there  was  among  those  Republicans  who  had 
been  his  stanch  supporters  a  number  who  would 
still  support  him  as  an  independent  candidate.  But 
Hamilton  again  put  his  influence  against  Burr's 
ambition  and  advised  the  Federalists  in  choosing 
between  two  candidates  who  had  always  been 
antagonists  to  select  Judge  Lewis,  about  whose 
personal  integrity  there  could  be  no  question  what- 
ever. His  words  had  great  weight  and  Lewis 
was  elected  by  a  large  majority. 

Burr,  beaten  in  his  ambition  for  both  Federal 
and  State  preferment,  laid  his  misfortunes  at 
Hamilton's  door  and  sought  a  pretext  to  pick  a 
quarrel  with  him.  The  result  was  a  challenge 
which,  as  the  foolish  law  of  the  duello  still  held 
general  acceptance,  Hamilton  felt  in  honor 
bound  to  accept.  The  story  of  the  duel  across 
the  river,  in  which  Hamilton  fired  in  the  air  and 
Burr  shot  to  kill,  with  the  consequence  of  the 
death  of  one  of  America's  greatest  constructive 
statesmen,  is  very  familiar  and  need  not  be  de- 
tailed here.  On  July  12,  1804,  the  day  after 
the  duel,  Hamilton  died  at  the  home  of  his 
friend,  William  Bayard. 

Burr  continued  as  Vice-President  until  March 
4,  1805.  He  was  indicted  for  murder  but  was 
never  brought  to  trial,  was  engaged  in  several 
schemes,  some  of  which  caused  indictments  to  be 
preferred  against  him  for  treason,  and  other 
crimes.  His  life  and  the  career  of  his  daughter 
Theodosia,  his  wanderings  and  adventures  in 
Europe;  his  strange  courtship  and  marriage  in 
1833,  when  he  was  seventy-seven  years  old,  to 
Madame  Jamel,  a  widow  who  owned  the  man- 
sion on  Washington  Heights  which  Washington 
had  used  for  his  headquarters,  made  his  course 
until  his  death  in  1 836  one  of  the  strangest  in 
American  history. 

Hamilton  is  buried  in  Trinity  Churchyard.  His 
productive  service  to  city,  state  and  nation  place 
him  high  in  the  list  of  the  greatest  Americans. 
He  was  the  foremost  protagonist  of  the  idea  of 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


23 


City  Hall  in  Wall  Street  as  Enlarged  for  Capitol. 


24 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


tenlralized  and  iiiheiciil  stiengtli  and  pouer  lor 
the  Federal  governmenl  and  did  good  service  in 
that  direction.  While  his  views  were  never 
adopted  in  their  uUimate  extreme  of  State  sub- 
serviency to  Federal  domination  they  sufficiently 
impressed  themselves  on  our  form  of  government 
to  prevent  reversion  to  the  other  scheme  of  a 
loose  and  nerveless  federation  of  States  bound  to- 
t^'fthcr  with  ropes  of  sand.  In  the  attrition  of  the 
lonUKting  schools  of  political  thought  a  happy 
medium  ol  Federal  control  in  National  affairs 
and  State  freedom  to  secure  home  rule  in  home 
affairs  was  arrived  at,  making  the  people  of  the 
United  States  the  freest  to  govern  themselves  and 
pursue  their  own  happiness  in  the  world. 

Following  the  British  evacuation  of  New  York 
the  Mayor  of  New  York  continued  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  Gofvernor,  James  Duane  being  the 
first  to  hold  that  office  under  American  auspices. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Colonel  Richard  Varick 
who  had  served  through  the  Revolution,  had  been 
aide  to  General  Benedict  Arnold  before  his  trea- 
son and  later  had  been  recording  and  confidential 
secretary  to  General  Washington.  After  the 
Americans  took  possession  of  New  York  he  was 
recorder  of  New  York  until  I  789  when  he  be- 
came Mayor,  which  office  he  held  until  1801. 
He  was  a  successful  lawyer,  a  man  of  imposing 
presence,  being  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  and 
lived  in  a  house  in  Broadway  which  in  1  799 
was  valued  at  three  thousand  pounds.  He  had 
served  as  attorney-general  of  the  State  of  New 
York  from  1  778  to  I  786,  and  was  speaker  of 
the  Assembly  of  the  Slate  in  1787  and  1788. 
He  was  appointed  by  Governor  George  Clinton 
and  also  served  during  John  Jay's  two  terms  as 
Governor,  and  so  far  as  identified  with  politics  he 
was  in  harmony  with  the  Federalists,  and  espe- 
cially with  Alexander  Hamilton  and  Governor 
John  Jay. 

During  his  term  as  Mayor  many  important 
events  affecting  the  city  occurred.  One  of  the 
first  was  the  tercentenary  celebration  on  October 
12,  1792,  of  the  discovery  of  America  by 
Columbus.  Correctional  and  charitable  activities 
were  better  organized  and  more  humane.  Toward 
The  I, -St  of  his  service  as  Mayor  revisions  of  the 
i  iminal  C  ode  were  made  which  made  the  way 
of  justice  easier  by  the  abolition  of  the  death  pen- 
alty in  all  cases  except  those  of  murder  and  trea- 
son. There  were  three  yellow  fever  years  during 
his  administration,  the  first  in  1791.  That  of 
I  795  has  already  been  described,  and  another 
came  in  1  798  which  was  much  heavier  as  fifteen 
hundred  and  twenty-four  persons  died  from  the 
disease.  Epidemics  of  small-pox  were  also  fre- 
quent and  though  not  so  generally  fatal  were  an 
item  in  the  mortality  tables  that  reflected  how 
much  the  medical  world  had  to  learn  concerning 
the   pathology   of   zymotic   diseases.     After  the 


yellow  li'ver  visitation  of  1793  a  system  of  under- 
ground sewerage  was  prepared  and  carried  out. 

Early  in  Mayor  Varick's  administration  a  deal 
was  effected  that  was  of  considerable  value  to  the 
city,  in  the  purchase  of  the  Collect  Pond  and  ad- 
joining lands.  In  1  733  Captain  Anthony  Rut- 
gers had  sent  a  petition  to  the  King  representing 
the  "Kolk"  or  Collect  Pond  as  a  morass  sur- 
rounded by  low  marshy  acres.  He  drew  a  pic- 
lure  of  it  as  a  place  which  was  a  menace  to  the 
health  of  the  island  unless  it  should  be  fenced  and 
drained,  and  told  how  the  tides  from  bath  rivers 
flowed  over  the  land  and  how  straying  cattle  be- 
came bogged  in  it.  Captain  Rutgers  received  the 
grant  as  requested  and  improved  the  land  to 
some  extent  but  while  the  pond  had  been  deepened 
and  the  surrounding  lands  partly  drained  it  was 
deemed  important  that  the  city  should  acquire 
them.  Therefore,  in  1791,  the  title  of  Captain 
Rutgers'  heirs  to  the  pond  and  about  seventy 
acres  of  land  adjoining  was  bought  for  the  sum 
of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  The  swampy 
land  that  stretched  across  the  island  nearly  from 
river  to  river  retarded  its  uptown  growth.  The 
Collect  Pond  which  at  one  lime  was  a  clear  lake- 
let had  gathered  impure  seepages  which  led  many 
people  and  nearly  all  physicians  to  doubt  its  fit- 
ness for  human  consumption.  At  the  intersection 
of  Chatham  and  Pearl  Streets  there  was  a  pond 
reputed  to  be  of  spring  water  over  which  a  pump 
had  been  built  which  became  a  prominent  institu- 
tion of  the  city  as  its  chief  source  of  potable  water 
under  the  name  of  the  "Tea  Water  Pump." 
There  were  many  private  wells  in  the  lower  part 
of  the  city  as  well  as  public  wells  and  pumps  in 
Broadway  and  other  thoroughfares  but  the  quality 
of  the  water  was  execrable  and  the  water  from 
the  "Tea  Water  Pump,"  very  palatable  in  com- 
parison with  that  of  the  other  sources  of  supply, 
was  carted  about  the  city  and  sold  for  drinking 
purposes.  There  were  very  early  in  the  history 
of  New  York  under  American  organization  con- 
stantly recurring  endeavors  to  secure  privately 
owned  charters  for  water  supply,  but  public  opin- 
ion has  always  been  strongly  against  monopolies 
of  this  kind  in  New  York.  Aaron  Burr,  how- 
ever, managed  to  get  a  bill  through  the  Assembly 
for  a  system  of  water  supply.  The  Bank  of 
New  York  had  been  chartered  by  the  Legislature 
and  was  under  Federalist  auspices  which  would 
have  been  glad  to  retain  a  monopoly  of  banking 
privileges.  As  politics  tinctured  everything  in 
those  days.  Burr  wished  to  get  banking  privileges 
which  could  be  kept  under  Republican  (Demo- 
cratic) auspices  but  he  had  no  idea  that  the  Fed- 
eralist Assembly  would  let  any  such  charier  go 
into  Republican  hands.  He  therefore  devised  a 
charter  for  a  water  company  to  lay  pipes  and 
supply  the  downtown  districts  with  water.  This 
charter  went  through  the    Legislature    in    1 799, 


26 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


granting  these  functions  to  the  Manhattan  Com- 
pany. The  charter  besides  what  were  ostensibly 
its  principal  provisions  had  an  ingenious  clause 
which  permitted  the  company  to  use  its  surplus 
capital  in  any  enterprise  not  inconsistent  with  the 
laws  of  the  State  or  of  the  United  States,  a  pro- 
vision which  was  sufliciently  broad  to  enable  the 
company  to  engage  in  the  banking  business,  which 
it  did  and  still  continues  to  do.  The  provisions  of 
the  water  supply  feature  of  the  business  gave  the 
company  a  wide  latitude  as  to  the  source  of  sup- 
ply, though  it  was  expected  that  the  company 
would  tap  the  Bronx  River  and  thereby,  in  the 
opinion  of  those  who  were  regarded  as  authority, 
insure  a  supply  sufficient  for  all  lime.  But  The 
Manhattan  Company  never  went  as  far  as  the 
Bronx  for  its  supply.  It  built  a  pump  near  the 
Collect  Pond  and  laid  wooden  pipes  made  of  hol- 
low logs  in  the  streets  of  the  city,  with  town 
pumps  at  nearly  every  block.  This  was  the 
principal  water  supply  of  lower  Manhattan  until 
the  introduction  of  the  Croton  Water  System. 
The  ground  around  the  Collect  was  filled  up  and 
graded,  and  durino  Varick's  term  was  begun  a 
system  of  drainage  calculated  to  drain  the  swampy 
ground  between  the  Bowery  Road  and  the  Hud- 
son River.  The  wettest  part  of  that  region,  most 
of  it  included  in  what  was  called  Lispenard's 
Meadows,  was  at  about  the  intersection  of  Canal 
Street  and  Broadway,  where  several  small  and 
sluggish  brooks  ran,  sometimes  overflowing  into  a 
wide  marsh.  It  was  difficult  to  get  the  city  au- 
thorities and  the  landowners  together,  but  the  one 
that  met  with  most  favor  was  that  of  a  canal 
from  east  to  west  which  would  carry  away  the 
surplus  waters.  The  matter  was  finally  settled 
with  many  other  mooted  questions  of  city  develop- 
ment by  the  appointment  of  a  commission  which 
laid  out  an  open  canal  along  the  line  of  the  pres- 
ent Canal  Street,  with  a  broad  roadway  on  each 
side,  crossed  at  Broadway  by  a  stone  bridge. 
Shade  trees  were  planted  on  each  side  of  the 
canal.  It  remained  thus  for  several  years  but 
finally  the  trees  were  cut  down,  the  canal  arched 
over  with  brick  as  a  part  of  the  sewer  system  of 
the  city  and  the  present  wide  street  created.  At 
about  the  same  time  the  Collect  Pond,  which  had 
ceased  being  a  source  of  water  supply  and  into 
which  the  surplus  material  from  the  grading  of 
streets  and  lots  had  been  dumped,  was  finally 
filled  up  and  graded. 

When  George  Clinton  was  again  elected  Gov- 
ernor in  April,  1801,  as  successor  to  Governor 
Jay,  it  was  a  victory  for  the  Republican  parly. 
Politics  had  by  this  lime  become  closely  organized, 
and  the  distribution  of  offices  to  victorious  par- 
tisans had  become  the  rule,  seldom  broken,  among 
all  parties.  DeWitt  Clinton,  nephew  of  the 
Governor,  who  had  been  elected  to  the  State 
Senate  in  I  798,  had  caused  a  change  to  be  made 


in  the  method  of  making  appointments  so  that  in- 
stead of  being  exclusively  in  the  Governor's  hands 
they  were  made  by  a  Council  of  Appointment, 
composed  of  a  Senator  from  each  of  the  four  dis- 
tricts of  the  State,  with  the  Governor  as  Chairman 
of  the  Council.  The  authorship  of  this  plan,  in- 
tended to  solidify  the  power  of  the  Republican 
(Democratic)  party,  earned  for  DeWitt  Clinton 
the  designation,  "Father  of  the  Spoils  System." 

This  council  appointed  Edward  Livingston 
Mayor  of  New  York.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
famous  Livingston  family  which  gave  many  states- 
men and  officials  to  New  York,  New  Jersey  and 
the  nation.  He  was  a  leading  opponent  of  the 
Jay  Treaty  in  Congress,  was  appointed  United 
States  attorney  for  the  district  of  New  York,  by 
President  Jefferson,  in  March,  1801,  and  chosen 
Mayor  of  New  York  in  August  following  and 
held  both  offices,  there  being  then  no  law  against 
such  duality.  He  laid  the  cornerstone  of  the 
present  City  Hall  in  1803  and  later  in  the  year 
when  a  new  visitation  of  yellow  fever  came  to  the 
city  he  took  charge  of  the  methods  of  relief  of 
poor  patients,  visiting  hospitals  and  infected  homes 
until  he  himself  was  taken  down  by  the  disease, 
escaping  by  a  very  narrow  chance.  While  he 
was  lying  ill  a  confidential  subordinate  embezzled 
a  large  fund  which  he  held  in  trust  as  district 
attorney.  Livingston  resigned  as  district  attorney 
and  as  Mayor,  turning  over  all  his  property  and 
finally  paying  every  cent  of  the  loss  to  the  Govern- 
ment, with  interest.  He  held  the  office  of  Mayor 
until  his  successor  was  chosen,  the  Council  of  Ap- 
pointment selecting  DeWitt  Clinton  for  the  May- 
oralty. Edward  Livingston  went  to  New  Or- 
leans, which  had  just  come  into  the  United  .States 
by  the  purchase  of  Louisiana  negotiated  for  Jeffer- 
son by  Edward's  brother.  Chancellor  Robert  R. 
Livingston.  He  became  the  foremost  member  of 
the  bar  of  Louisiana,  codifier  of  the  Laws  of  the 
State,  aide  to  Andrew  Jackson  in  the  War  of 
1812,  Congressman  and  later  Senator  from 
Louisiana,  Secretary  of  State  in  the  Jackson 
Cabinet  and  Minister  to  France. 

Appointive  power  in  the  selection  of  the  mayors 
of  New  York,  whether  by  the  Governor  or  by 
Governor  and  Council,  certainly  succeeded  in  giv- 
ing the  city  a  high  grade  of  executives.  Duane, 
Varick  and  Edward  Livingston  were  all  high 
grade  men,  and  the  fourth  was  fully  the  equal 
of  either  and  has  never  been  excelled  in  ability  or 
efficiency  by  any  of  those  who  have  administered 
that  important  office.  DeWitt  Clinton  began  his 
connection  with  politics  in  1  790,  when  he  was 
only  twenty-one  years  old,  as  private  secretary  to 
his  uncle,  then  Governor  of  New  York,  and  was 
a  stanch  supporter  of  George  Clinton's  ambitions 
and  policies.  Member  of  the  State  Assembly  in 
1797,  and  of  the  State  Senate  from  1798  to 
1802,  he  was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate 


28 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


in  1802  and  resigned  in  1803  to  accept  appoint- 
ment as  Mayor  of  New  York,  which  had  become 
a  more  important  office  by  the  addition  to  its 
duties  of  those  of  President  of  the  Council  and 
Chief  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas.  He 
was  Mayor  from  1803  to  1806  and  again  from 
1807  to  1809  and  after  another  year  out  of  office 
was  again  Mayor  from  1810  to  1815.  During 
the  same  period  he  held  state  elective  offices  in 
addition  to  the  Mayoralty,  being  State  Senator 
from  1805  to  1811  and  Lieutenant-Governor 
from  1811  to  1813.  During  a  brief  accession 
of  the  Federalists  to  power  in  the  Council  of 
Appointment  Marinus  Willett  was  Mayor  for  a 
year,  and  then  DeWitt  Clinton  was  appointed 
again.  The  Federalists  were  no  longer  a  power 
in  Federal  politics  and  their  influence  was  waning 
in  State  politics.  The  Republican  (Democratic) 
party  succeeded  when  it  harmonized,  but  its  very 
strength  was  its  weakness  by  dividing  it  into  fac- 
tions— the  Clintonians,  the  Livingston  faction,  and 
Tammany.  In  1809  the  FederalisU  carried  the 
Scale,  and  the  new  Council  of  ApooiiUment  made 
Jacob  Ratcliff  Mayor,  but  in  the  following  year 
the  Clinton  and  Livingston  ^dijions  united  and 
won,  and  DeWitt  Clinton  became  Mayor  again. 

Me  was  essentially  a  Democr.it  and  a  paily 
man  but  had  a  strong  streak  uf  independence  in 
his  nature.  He  had  been  a  strong  assailant  of 
President  John  Adams  and  Gove.  n  )r  Jay  on  the 
ground  of  their  hostility  to  France.  Yet,  when 
a  French  break  was  looked  for  as  a  s';quence 
of  the  Jay  treaty,  he  raised,  equipped  and  com- 
manded a  company  of  artinerv  for  service  in  the 
event  of  war  with  that  country.  When  a  young 
man,  in  1791,  he  had  been  a  member  of  the 
1  ammany  Society  and  scribe  to  its  Council  during 
the  period  when  Josiah  Ogde.T  Hoffman  was 
Grand  Sachem.  But  Tammany  was  then  prin- 
cipally prominent  as  a  patriotic  society  and  a 
social  organization  and  not  definitely  aligned  on 
any  one  side  of  party  politics.  It  soon  became 
definitely  Republican  (Democratic)  in  national 
politics,  but  factional  in  local  contests,  lining  up 
at  this  period  chiefly  with  the  Livingston  wing  of 
the  party.  DeWitt  Clinton,  though  a  New  York 
Democratic  leader,  opposed  Madison's  policies. 

DeWitt  Clinton,  after  his  uncle  became  Vice- 
President  of  the  United  States  in  Jefferson's  sec- 
ond term,  was  looked  upon  by  many  as  available 
Presidential  timber.  He  had  shown  no  special  favor 
to  Tammany,  and  that  society  had  opposed  him, 
fruitlessly,  in  his  candidacy  for  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor in  1811;  he  also  had  the  opposition  of 
Tammany  in  his  candidacy  for  (President  in  1812, 
but  the  Society  did  not  prevent  him  from  securing 
the  vote  of  New  York.  Clinton  also  had  the 
Federalist  nomination,  but  Madison  was  re-elected 
without  the  vote  of  New  York,  the  electoral  vote 
being  128  for  Madison  to  89  for  Clinton. 


The  present  City  Hall  was  finished  and  oc- 
cupied during  the  mayoral  administration  of  De- 
Witt Clinton.  The  material  chosen  for  the  walls 
of  this  building  was  white  marble  from  quarries 
in  Slockbridge,  Massachusetts,  although  from  m.o- 
tives  of  economy  the  suggestion  of  a  member  of 
the  Council  that  red  sandstone  be  used  for  the 
rear  wall  because  it  was  not  likely  that  many 
houses  would  ever  be  built  north  of  the  structure, 
was  accepted.  The  building  has  continued  to  be 
occupied  by  the  Mayor  and  other  important  city 
officials  and  is  much  admired.  It  is  little  changed 
though  the  back  wall  has  been  rebuilt  in  harmony 
with  the  other  sides  of  the  building.  The  tower 
has  been  rebuilt  and  was  recently  gutted  by  a 
fire  that  destroyed  the  clock  by  which  thousands 
regulated  their  conduct.  The  fire  occurred  from 
defective  insulation  of  wires  or  some  such  cause, 
a  few  days  after  the  illumination  of  the  building 
in  honor  of  Marshal  Joffre  and  Minister  Balfour 
and  the  French  and  British  commissions  in  the 
spring  of  1917. 

In  the  annals  of  the  City  and  State  of  New 
York  there  is  no  more  constructive  name  than  that 
of  DeWitt  Clinton.  His  interest  in  progressive 
movements  made  him  a  power  in  the  promotion  of 
good  causes.  In  the  two  houses  of  the  State 
Legislature  he  had  been  a  leader  in  the  successful 
movements  for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  and  of 
imprisonment  for  debt.  He  was  the  pioneer  in 
the  successive  steps  which  sought  universal  educa- 
tion and  culminated  in  the  present  public  school 
system. 

His  conduct  during  the  war  with  Great  Britain, 
1812-1815,  was  eminently  patriotic.  He  had 
been  opposed  to  the  war  and  as  the  leader  of  the 
peace  section  of  the  Republican  party  had  been 
taken  up  as  their  candidate  by  the  Federalists, 
who  were  also  opposed  to  the  war,  against  Mad- 
ison for  President  in  1812.  But  when  war  was 
begun  he  threw  all  his  great  prestige  and  ability 
on  the  side  of  his  country  and  led  in  organization 
work  by  which  several  companies  of  militia  were 
organized  and  drilled  and  effective  measures  were 
taken  to  prepare  the  city  against  attack  by  land 
or  sea. 

In  1816  DeWitt  Clinton  was  elected  Governor 
of  New  York  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  all  parties 
in  the  field  and  he  made  a  record  as  Governor 
which  added  to  his  laurels  as  a  constructive  states- 
man. The  Federalist  party  died  as  a  national 
organization  in  the  election  of  1816,  when  its 
candidates  were  Rufus  King  of  New  York  for 
President,  who  received  34  electoral  votes,  and 
John  Eager  Howard  of  Maryland  for  Vice- 
President,  with  22  electoral  votes.  James  Mon- 
roe of  Virginia  for  President,  and  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins  of  New  York  for  Vice-President  were 
elected  on  the  Republican  ticket  with  183  votes 
each. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


29 


The  Republican  party,  with  the  weakening  of 
its  ancient  foe,  broke  into  two  strongly  opposed 
factions.  A  certain  section  of  Tammany  which 
had  been  especially  hostile  to  Clinton  and  which 
had  ticketed  itself  as  being  composed  of  "Mad- 
isonian"  Republicans,  wore  a  bucktail  ornament 
as  a  campaign  emblem  and  became  popularly 
known  as  "Bucktails,"  the  other  Republican  fac- 
tion being  designated  "Clintonians."  Clinton  was 
re-elected  in  1 820  and  served  until  the  end  of 
1822,  the  Constitution  of  1821  having  changed 
the  beginning  of  the  gubernatorial  term  to  January 
1  from  April  1.  The  "Bucktails"  having  gained 
a  majority  in  the  State,  Clinton  declined  to  be  a 
candidate  in  1822. 

The  question  involved  in  the  Bucktail-Clintonian 
cleavage  was  one  that  deeply  affected  New  York 
City.  While  Clinton  was  Mayor  he  had  been 
appointed  a  member  of  the  Erie  Canal  Commis- 
sion, the  creation  of  which  was  in  the  first  place 
the  result  of  his  own  advocacy.  He  had  made 
internal  improvements  a  subject  of  deep  study  and 
while  in  the  Senate  of  New  York  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  lay  before  Congress  a  petition  for  Fed- 
eral aid  for  a  canal  to  connect  the  Great  Lakes 
with  the  Hudson  at  tidewater.  As  the  waterway 
would  be  entirely  within  a  single  State  the  request 
was  not  favorably  considered.  Clinton  then  be- 
gan to  agitate  that  the  State  should  itself  take  up 
the  matter,  and  his  long  study  of  the  subject  en- 
abled him  to  put  the  benefits  of  the  plan  in  such 
a  light  that  many  popular  gatherings  endorsed  the 
project.  On  that  issue  he  was  elected  Governor 
in  1817  and  he  broke  ground  for  the  canal  with 
his  own  hand  on  July  4,  1817.  He  prosecuted 
the  work  in  spite  of  much  opposition.  The  "Al- 
bany Regency,"  as  a  little  group  of  leading  Demo- 
crats who  were  most  influential  in  State  affairs 
(with  Martin  Van  Buren  at  their  head)  was 
called,  was  hostile  to  Clinton  during  his  second 
term  because  he  was  too  independent  to  fit  in  with 
their  plans.  In  the  early  years  of  his  administra- 
tion the  canal  project  was  jeered  at  and  derided 
as  a  fatuous  hobby  with  neither  merit  nor  hope, 
only  good  to  fritter  away  the  money  ot  the  tax- 
payers. "Clinton's  Folly"  the  canal  was  called. 
These  sneers  reduced  Clinton's  vote  in  1820  and 
when  he  refused  to  be  a  candidate  in  1822  the 
opposition  in  its  vindictive  glee  at  having  forced 
him  to  retreat  thought  to  humiliate  him,  now  that 
he  was  no  longer  formidable,  by  removing  him 
from  membership  in  the  Erie  Canal  Commission, 
which  they  did  early  in  1824.  The  attacks  that 
had  been  made  upon  him  had  caused  him  to  be 
identified  so  closely  with  the  canal  as  to  be  en- 
titled to  practically  all  the  credit  for  it  and  as  its 
success  was  by  this  time  assured  his  removal  from 
the  commission  raised  a  storm  of  protest  that  swept 
him  into  the  Governor's  chair  again  in  1  824  by  a 
majority  of  1 6,000  votes  larger  than  any  candi- 


date for  Governor  had  ever  received  before,  and 
he  was  re-elected  again  in  1 826. 

His  vindication  was  complete.  The  canal  was 
opened  with  great  ceremony  in  October,  1825, 
and  Governor  Clinton  was  carried  on  a  barge  from 
Lake  Erie  to  New  York  in  a  triumphant  progress 
which  included  a  great  ovation  at  each  town  along 
the  route  and  a  naval  fete,  military  and  civic  pro- 
cessions, night  illuminations  and  a  grand  ball  at 
the  Lafayette  Theatre  in  Laurens  Street,  making 
November  4,  1825,  a  day  thereafter  referred  to 
by  all  of  its  survivors  as  the  greatest  New  York 
ever  saw.  It  was  probably  never  equalled  as  a 
celebration  until  the  Hudson-Fulton  pageants  took 
place  in  1909  and  that  great  celebration  had  no 
such  personal  hero  to  receive  the  plaudits  of  the 
populace  as  DeWitt  Clinton.  He  was  the  human 
embodiment  of  the  great  enterprise  which  meant 
more  to  New  York  in  a  commercial  way  than  any 
other  event  that  had  happened  since  Henry  Hud- 
son had  poked  the  prow  of  his  "Half-Moon" 
into  the  North  River  two  hundred  and  sixteen 
years  before. 

Governor  Clinton  continued  his  good  work,  in- 
augurating several  valuable  branches  of  the  Erie 
Canal  and  by  his  example  becoming  the  inspira- 
tion of  other  important  canal  enterprises  in  other 
states.  He  died  suddenly  in  Albany  on  February 
11,  1  828,  leaving  a  name  that  still  shines  in  the 
list  of  those  who  have  wrought  bravely  and  well 
for  the  United  States.  His  more  than  thirty  years 
of  public  service  covered  many  more  beneficial  acts 
for  the  good  of  the  city  and  state  than  have  been 
enumerated  here. 

Many  things  had  happened  in  New  York  City 
while  Clinton  was  Mayor,  one  of  the  most  notable 
being  the  introduction  of  steam  navigation  into 
practical  use  through  the  launching  of  the  "Cler- 
mont" on  the  Hudson  by  Robert  Fulton  m  1807, 
a  great  event  which  will  be  dealt  with  more  in  de- 
tail elsewhere. 

There  intervened  during  Clinton's  term  as  mayor 
a  period  of  great  depression  caused  by  various 
conditions  and  made  stringent  by  the  embargoes 
laid  upon  commerce  by  Jefferson  and  Madison 
and  by  the  partial  blockades  that  accompanied 
the  hostilities  of  1812-1815. 

An  interesting  and  essentially  prophetic  piece 
of  constructive  municipal  planning  was  another 
feature  of  this  period.  Gouverneur  Morris,  Simeon 
DeWitt,  John  Rutherford  and  S.  Guel  were  ap- 
pointed as  commissioners  to  lay  out  that  part  of 
the  city  north  of  North  Street  (Houston  Street). 
The  earlier  commission  which  in  1  797  had  laid 
out  the  town  on  paper  to  the  street  which  they 
called  "North  Street" — no  doubt  with  the  idea 
that  that  would  eventually  prove  to  be  the  Ultima 
Thule  of  possible  urban  extension — earned  the 
reputation  of  being  sufficiently  cheerful  optimists 
but  this  new  commission  which  took  pen  in  hand 


30 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


and  mapped  out  the  city  very  nearly  as  it  exists 
to-day  up  to  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-fifth  Street, 
went  far  beyond  what  anyone  then  considered  a 
possibihty.  That  they  knew  they  were  making 
themselves  a  source  of  innocent  merriment  is  suffi- 
ciently indicated  by  the  report  which  accompanied 
their  printed  "plan"  for  they  said  as  much  but 
they  explained  that  while  it  would  be  very  many 
years  before  there  would  be  any  city  buildings 
south  of  Harlem,  and  centuries  before  there  would 
be  any  houses  built  north  of  Harlem  Flats,  they 
thought  there  would  in  time  be  a  considerable 
population  at  Harlem  itself.  Therefore,  in  order 
to  present  a  connected  plan  they  had  laid  out  the 
larger  part  of  Manhattan  Island  so  as  to  number 
the  streets  in  the  Harlem  section  in  harmony  with 
a  system  adopted  for  the  portion  adjacent  to 
North  Street.  They  therefore  begged  to  be  ex- 
cused for  laying  out  a  plan  providing  "space  for 
a  population  greater  than  is  collected  at  any  spot 
this  side  of  China."  But  while  these  unconscious 
prophets  felt  it  necessary  to  break  the  force  of  the 
jesters  who,  as  expected,  made  many  a  quip  at 
their  visionary  planning,  the  years  have  confirmed 
their  wisdom.  They  could  have  added  as  many 
more  miles  to  their  plan  and  still  be  fully  justi- 
fied. 

Events  ol  the  period  which  deserve  passing 
mention  include  removal  in  1818,  from  Quebec, 
of  the  remains  of  Major  General  Richard  Mont- 
gomery, of  the  Continental  Army,  who  was  killed 
in  the  assault  on  Quebec,  December  31,  1775. 


I  he  body  was  brought  to  this  city  and  interred 
with  military  honors  and  impressive  ceremonies  in 
St.  Paul's  Church,  where  for  years  before  there  had 
existed  the  beautiful  cenotaph  placed  in  the  east 
wall  of  the  church,  pursuant  to  a  vote  of  the  Con- 
tinental Congress  in  I  776. 

The  visit  of  General  de  Lafayette  to  New  York 
ill  1824  was  made  a  great  festivity.  He  had  ar- 
rived on  Staten  Island  on  Sunday,  August  15,  and 
was  entertained  there  until  next  day  by  Daniel  D. 
Tompkins,  then  Vice-President  of  the  United 
Slates.  He  was  given  a  great  naval,  military  and 
civic  reception.  He  was  escorted  through  the  city 
and  to  Harlem  by  the  Seventh  Regiment,  then  as 
now  the  crack  regiment  of  New  York,  though  it 
was  then  known  as  the  Twenty-Seventh,  and  has 
just  now  (October,  1917)  been  renumbered  as 
the  One  Hundred  and  Seventh  Regiment,  United 
States  Army  as  mobilized  for  the  World  War. 
Very  appropriately  the  same  organization  was  the 
escort  of  that  other  great  and  friendly  Frenchman, 
Marshal  Joffre,  upon  his  heading  a  mission  to  this 
country  in  1917. 

Another  event  of  importance  was  the  passage 
of  a  law  fathered  by  Governor  Daniel  D.  Tomp- 
kins when  resigning  in  January,  1817,  to  take 
office  as  Vice-President  of  the  United  States.  In  a 
message  he  asked  the  Legislature  to  pass  a  law 
declaring  that  ail  slaves  in  the  State  should  become 
free  on  and  after  July  4,  1827,  thus  fixing  a  limit 
to  the  uncertainties  of  the  gradual  emancipation 
law  of  I  798. 


£  ;i 


-  "1. 
:  J- 


Reception  of  General  Lafayette,  1824. 


CHAPTER  THREE 


New  York  From   1825  to  1850 


Era  of  Transportation  Improvement,  Stages,  Railroads,  Street  Cars,  Clipper 
Ships  and  the  Telegraph.    Currency  Troubles,  Riots,  and  Immigration. 


IN  the  period  covered  by  the  incidents  in  the 
preceding  chapter  important  physical  changes  had 
been  made  in  New  \  ork.  The  population  was 
60,515  in  1800.  increased  to  96,373  m  1810. 
had  grown  to  123,706  in  1820  and  to  166,089 
in  1825.  When  the  century  opened  New  York, 
with  its  more  than  sixty  thousand  inhabitants,  was 
rai  overgrown  village  with  none  of  the  things  we 
regard  as  city  conveniences.  For  water  transporta- 
tion there  were  sail-boats  and  row-boats;  on  land, 
unless  one  owned  his  own  horse,  he  walked:  for 
there  was  no  public  means  of  urban  transportation 
until  1 804,  when  hackney  coaches  were  first 
licensed. 

The  demonstration  of  the  application  of  steam 
power  to  vessel  propulsion  by  Fulton  in  1807  was 
the  beginning  of  a  new  commercial  epoch  for  the 
world  at  large  but  especially  a  benefit  to  New 
York.  It  was  somewhat  restricted  at  first  by  an 
act  of  the  Legislature  giving  exclusive  privileges 
to  Fulton  and  Livingston  for  steam  navigation  of 
the  Hudson  for  five  years  for  each  vessel  built, 
not  to  exceed  thirty  years  in  all.  Besides  the 
Clermont,  1 60  tons,  the  original  vessel,  the  Car 
of  Neptune,  295  tons  measurement,  built  in  1808, 
the  Paragon,  built  in  1811,  and  other  vessels 
were  added  to  the  New  York-Albany  fleet  and  in 
1812  Fulton  introduced  two  steam  ferryboats  for 
the  North  River  and  a  little  later  two  others  for  the 
Fast  River,  and  also  invented  the  floating  dock 
«nd  the  method  by  which  the  boats  were  navi- 
gated into  them  without  shock.  After  I  824  other 
steam  ventures  were  introduced,  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  deciding  in  that  year  that  the  mo- 
nopoly granted  to  Fulton  and  Livingston  was  il- 
legal. The  embargoes  of  Jefferson  and  Madison, 
the  second  war  with  England  in  1812  to  1814, 
the  suspension  of  specie  payments  from  1814  to 
1817  and  other  events  severely  hampered  for- 
eign and  coastwise  trade   from  New  York,  es- 


pecially as  the  British  maintained  from  1812  to 
1814  a  fairly  effective  blockade  of  the  port. 

Visitations  of  yellow  fever  appeared  again  in 
1819,  1822  and  1823  and  after  that,  for  years, 
there  were  only  sporadic  cases  of  that  disease. 
But  in  1 832  New  York  was  visited  for  the  first 
time  by  Asiatic  cholera.  It  first  appeared  at  a 
house  in  Cherry  Street,  near  James  Street,  on  June 
25.  Several  more  cases  followed  and  on  July  3 
the  Board  of  Health  called  a  special  medical 
council  composed  of  Dr.  Alexander  H.  Stevens, 
president;  Drs.  Joseph  Bayley,  Gilbert  Smith, 
John  Neilson.  William  J.  McNeven,  Hugh 
McLean.  Richard  K.  Hoffman,  and  Anthony  L. 
Anderson.  These  men,  eminent  in  their  profession, 
soon  had  four  large  public  hospitals  organized  and 
so  efficiently  conducted  that  in  the  nine  weeks 
from  July  to  October  I  there  were  treated  2,030 
patients,  of  whom  852  died.  A  second  visitation 
ill  1 834  had  appreciably  fewer  victims. 

When  the  paucity  of  the  water-supply  of  New- 
York  in  the  early  decades  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury is  considered  it  may  be  regarded  as  remark- 
able that  the  city  had  so  few  fires  of  disastrous 
proportions.  The  worst  visitation  of  that  kind 
previous  to  1835  was  in  1811,  which  destroyed 
nearly  one  hundred  houses.  The  event  lived  in 
n;emory  of  the  New  Yorkers  for  many  years  as 
"the  Great  Fire"  and  at  the  time  it  was  regarded 
as  little  less  than  miraculous  that  the  whole  city 
was  not  destroyed.  It  broke  out  in  a  building  on 
Chatham  Street,  near  Duane.  and  spread  rapidly 
with  the  aid  of  a  strong  wind. 

But  neither  fire.  war.  nor  pestilence  had  power 
to  check,  more  than  temporarily,  the  marvelous 
growth  of  New  York.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
quarter  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  the  water  sup- 
ply was  still  insufficient  and  of  poor  quality.  The 
lighting  facilities  had  consisted  of  candles  (tallow, 
wax    and    spermaceti),    and    of    smelly  lamps 


32 


NEM^    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


charged  with  fish  oils.  But  in  this  respect  reliel 
was  in  sight  through  the  organization  in  1823  of 
the  New  York  Gas  Light  Company.  In  1825 
tlie  house  of  Samuel  Leggett,  the  first  president  of 
that  company,  which  was  at  7  Cherry  Street,  was 
lighted  with  g.is,  the  fust  in  the  city  to  be  so  lighted. 
Gas,  as  an  iIIuiiuimhI.  i^'hw  m  favor,  the  first  gas 
pipes  being  L.id  m  limadway  from  Canal  Street 
lo  the  Battery.  I  his  was  followed  by  a  general 
laying  of  pipes  and  in  I  830  a  new  company  was 
organized,  incorporated  with  a  capital  amounting 
to  the  then  prodigious  total  of  $500,000  to  sup- 
ply gas  to  the  upper  part  of  the  Island. 

In  1 830  came  the  forerunner  of  our  street 
transportation  systems  in  the  establishing  of  a  regu- 
lar stage  line  in  Broadway  from  Bowling  Green 
to  Bleecker  Street.  The  Broadway  stages  con- 
tinued to  be  a  prominent  feature  of  public  con- 
^tnience  for  many  years. 

The  first  horse  railroad  in  the  world,  that  of 
the  New  York  and  Harlem  Railroad,  was  built 
in  1  832  and  put  in  operation  from  Prince  Street 
to  Murray  Hill,  the  length  of  the  trips  being  ex- 
tended from  time  to  time  as  the  building  of  the 
road  progressed. 

The  population  of  the  city  had  increased  by 
1830  to  202,589.  The  office  of  Mayor  so  far 
as  the  selection  of  the  incumbent  was  affected  con- 
tinued to  be  the  football  of  State  politics  and  chiefly 
between  the  two  factions  of  the  Republican 
(Democratic)  party.  The  Federalists,  who  had 
temporarily  gained  a  majority  of  the  Council  of 
Appoi.itment  in  1814,  removed  DeWitt  Clinton 
from  the  office  of  Mayor  and  appointed  John  Fer- 
guson in  his  stead  but  as  Ferguson  was  also  at  that 
lime  naval  officer  of  customs  of  the  port  of  New 
York  he  was  held  to  be  ineligible  to  hold  a  Fed- 
eial  and  a  State  office  simultaneously.  Therefore 
he  resigned  as  Mayor.  Following  this  Jacob 
Radcliff  was  appointed  Mayor.  He  served  until 
DeWitt  Clinton  became  Governor  and,  with  a 
casting  vote  in  the  Council  of  Appointment,  re- 
moved Radcliff  in  1818  frcrm  the  office,  appoint- 
ing Cadwallader  D.  Colden,  grandson  of  the 
former  Lieutenant-Governor  of  the  Province  of 
New  York,  to  succeed  him.  The  Council  of  Ap- 
pointment had  a  "Bucktail"  majority  in  1820, 
making  Stephen  Allen  Mayor.  In  the  same  year 
a  bill  was  passed  in  the  interest  of  home  rule,  tak- 
ing the  power  of  appointment  of  Mayor  from  the 
Council  of  Appointment  and  vesting  it  in  the 
Board  of  Aldermen.  Under  this  arrangement  the 
Mayors  were  Stephen  Allen  until  the  end  of 
1822;  Gen.  WiMiam  Paulding,  1823  and  1824; 
Philip  Hone,  1825;  Gen.  Paulding  again  1826 
and  1827;  Walter  Bowne,  1828  to  1833,  and 
Gideon  Lee,  appointed  in  the  latter  part  of  1833. 

The  election  of  Mayor  by  popular  vote  had 
been  provided  for  when  the  municipal  election  of 
April  10,  1834,  came  on  and  Tammany  took  a 


\try  prominent  part  in  the  contest.  Its  candidate 
was  Cornelius  VanWyck  Lawrence,  who  had 
served  in  Congress.  The  Whig  Party  had  just 
then  begun  to  be  active  in  Federal  politics,  more 
especially  in  antagonism  to  President  Jackson,  who 
had  vetoed  the  bill  for  the  renewal  of  the  charter 
of  the  United  States  Bank,  and  the  members  of 
that  party  with  conservative  Democrats  (some  of 
whom  agreed  with  them  on  the  bank  question  and 
all  of  them  in  opposition  to  Tammany)  united  on 
the  candidacy  of  Gulian  C.  Verplanck.  There 
were  few  polling  places  and  the  polls  were  open 
for  three  successive  days  and  the  contest  was  very 
warm.  It  was  red-hot  in  the  Sixth  Ward  where 
disturbance  on  election  day  was  the  rule  rather 
than  the  exception.  A  mob  of  Jackson  Democrats 
attacked  the  polling  place  there,  destroying  all  the 
ballots  and  everything  else  in  the  polling  room. 
Raids  were  also  made  by  the  rioters  on  the  gun- 
sh.ops  in  Broadway.  A  report  being  circulated 
that  the  mob  would  attack  the  State  Arsenal, 
\\  hich  occupied  the  block  bounded  by  Centre,  Elm, 
Franklin,  and  White  Streets,  some  of  the  better 
class  of  citizens  joined  in  a  request  to  the  Mayoi 
to  call  the  militia  to  aid  in  the  suppression  of  dis- 
order. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  Whig  meeting  in 
Masonic  Hall,  which  from  four  to  five  thousand 
men  were  estimated  to  have  attended,  and  it  was 
icsolved  to  attend  the  Sixth  Ward  poll,  and  to 
keep  it  open  to  all  voters  until  such  time  as  the 
official  authorities  should  procure  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  special  constables  to  keep  the  peace.  The 
next  day  the  rioters  created  various  disturbances 
along  Broadway  in  one  of  which  the  Mayor,  en- 
deavoring to  quiet  the  mob,  was  injured  and  as  the 
Whigs  were  organizing  to  take  defensive  measures 
the  Mayor  called  on  the  United  States  authorities 
in  the  fort.  They  declined  to  interfere  and  the 
Mayor  then  secured  the  aid  of  the  city  militia. 
This  was  the  first  time  the  militia  of  the  city  had 
ever  been  called  out  to  combat  a  riot  in  New  York 
and  the  Twenty-seventh  Regiment  (the  number 
of  which  was  later  changed  to  the  famous 
Seventh),  made  such  a  showing  of  preparedness  as 
slopped  further  disorder.  This  regiment  took  pos- 
session of  the  Arsenal  and  relieved  the  group  of 
citizens  who  had  volunteered  for  its  temporary  de- 
fence. The  polls  of  the  city  closed  with  a  small 
majority  for  Mr.  Lawrence  for  Mayor,  but  the 
Whigs  had  elected  the  Common  Council  by  a 
comfortable  majority. 

The  riot  tendency  seemed  to  be  especially 
strong  in  those  days.  The  Abolitionists  were  i 
small  but  valiant  body  of  agitators  who  had  con- 
vinced themselves  that  human  slavery  was  wrong 
and  set  out  to  convince  the  world  of  the  fact. 
A  meeting  in  October,  1 833.  of  a  few  friends 
of  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  was  broken  up  by  a 
hostile  mob  and  was  quickly  dispersed.     No  place 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


33 


in  the  country  was  more  intolerant  of  abolition 
oratory  than  New  York.  There  were  many  busi- 
ness men  who  had  extensive  dealings  with  the 
Southern  States,  and  a  large  majority  of  the  peo- 
ple, some  of  whom  were  by  no  means  friendly  to 
slavery  as  an  institution,  were  saturated  with  the 
State  sovereignty  idea  and  held  that  each  State 
should  settle  the  question  for  itself.  Then  there  was 
a  rowdy  element  always  keen  for  any  kind  of  dis- 
turbance. A  gang  of  such  people  started  to 
break  up  a  negro  gathering  in  a  chapel  in  Chatham 
Street  at  which  a  colored  preacher  was  to  preach. 
A  crowd  which  gathered  ordered  the  negroes  to 
leave  the  building,  but  they  said  they  had  paid 
their  rent  and  would  not  leave.     Thereupon  the 


cl  police  arriving  on  the  scene,  the  mob  left  that 
building  and  started  out  to  molest  those  known  to 
b'-  abolitionists.  First  they  went  to  Rose  Street, 
broke  into  and  sacked  the  home  of  Nathan  Tappan, 
brother  of  Lewis,  and  made  a  bonfire  of  the  furni- 
ture. They  fought  the  city  watchmen  who  tried 
to  stop  their  depredations  and  then  visited  the 
houses  of  other  abolitionists  with  similar  acts  of 
destruction.  Mayor  Lawrence  issued  a  proclama- 
tion calling  on  all  good  citizens  to  aid  in  maintain- 
ing the  peace.  Large  bodies  of  troops  gathered 
at  the  Arsenal,  the  City  Hall  and  other  public 
buildings.  On  the  night  of  July  1  1  the  mob  made 
attacks  upon  the  churches  of  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  H. 
Cox,  in  Laight  Street  and  of  Rev.  Henry  Ludlow, 


Park   Row  and   Broadway,  1825. 


crowd  broke  in  and  ejected  the  colored  people 
from  the  building.  Lewis  Tappan,  the  philan- 
thropist, had  also  attended  the  meeting.  He  was 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  anti-slavery  gathering 
which  had  been  broken  up  by  the  mob  in  the  pre- 
vious autumn.  The  crowd,  recognizing  him,  fol- 
lowed him  with  hooting  and  threats  to  his  house 
in  Rose  Street  and  after  he  had  entered  it  bom- 
barded the  place  with  stones.  The  next  evening 
the  pro-slavery  mob  started  out  to  hunt  down 
prominent  abolitionists.  Someone  suggested  that 
the  stage  manager  of  the  Bowery  Theatre,  who 
was  an  Englishman,  had  been  heard  to  make  derog- 
atory remarks  about  the  United  States  as  a  slave- 
holding  country.  Thereupon  the  mob  went  to 
the  theatre  and  took  possession  but,  a  detachment 


in  Spring  Street,  the  mounted  police  failing  to  dis- 
perse the  mob.  The  Twenty-seventh  (later  Sev- 
enth) Regiment  of  the  National  Guard,  under 
Colonel  Stevens,  which  had  previously  done  such 
excellent  work  in  the  election  riots,  marched  upon 
the  rioters  who  had  intrenched  themselves  behind 
double  barricades,  stormed  and  carried  them,  and 
then  as  the  militia  moved  upon  the  order,  in  solid 
column,  the  mob  broke  in  wild  disorder.  While 
this  was  being  done  another  mob  was  busy  at  the 
Five  Points  working  general  destruction  and  burn- 
ing several  buildings.  It  was  reported  that  dur- 
iiig  the  night  plans  were  laid  for  other  outbreaks  to 
occur  simultaneously  at  various  points  and  in  the 
morning  Mayor  Lawrence  issued  a  second  procla- 
mation to  citizens  to  report  to  him  for  organiza- 


34 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


lion  into  companies  to  aid  the  police.  In  response, 
volunteer  military  companies  and  fire  companies 
tendered  their  services  and  the  riot  was  broken  up 
with  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  the  ringleaders  in 
jail. 

Another  riot  occurred  a  month  later  which  is 
known  as  "The  Stone-Cutters'  Riot."  State  pris- 
oners had  been  brought  Irom  Sing  Sing  to  hew 
marble  for  the  construction  of  the  University.  The 
mob  was  very  sullen,  and  the  services  of  the  gal- 
lant Twenty-seventh  Regiment  were  enlisted  and 
order  restored,  but  the  regiment  lay  under  arms 
in  Washington  parade-ground,  now  Washington 
Square. 

The  Five  Points  Riot,  which  broke  out  in  the 
summer  of  1835,  was  a  tumult  of  factional  poli- 
tics. A  split  in  the  local  Democrats  had  occurred, 
the  cleavage  being  largely  on  racial  lines,  between 
Irish  and  American.  It  was  a  period  when  there 
was  a  strong  nativistic  excitement  manifest  not  only 
in  New  York  but  all  over  the  country.  1  herefore, 
when  it  was  announced  that  an  Irish  regiment,  to 
be  known  as  the  O'Connell  Guards,  was  being  or- 
ganized, the  Native  American  element  was  highly 
incensed.  The  riot  broke  out  in  the  turbulent 
Sixth  Ward,  the  chief  encounter  being  at  the  in- 
tersection of  Pearl  and  Chatham  Streets.  Private 
citizens,  including  some  notable  people,  suffered 
severe  injuries  for  their  endeavors  to  keep  the  peace, 
but  the  police  arrived  on  the  scene  and  after  stren 
uous  efforts  succeeded  in  restoring  order. 

There  was  no  further  riotous  outbreak  until 
February  10,  1837.  The  closing  of  the  United 
States  Bank,  currency  troubles,  a  short  crop  and 
wild  speculation  had  brought  about  a  period  of 
extreme  stringency,  with  high  prices.  Flour  went 
up  from  seven  to  twelve  dollars  per  barrel.  The 
price  of  meat  was  very  high  and  coal  was  ten 
dollars  per  ton.  It  was  the  period  of  "hard 
times."  The  common  people,  or  at  least  the  labor- 
ing classes,  had  conceived  the  idea  that  the  spec- 
ulator and  the  middleman  were  the  causes  of  their 
troubles  and  had  heard  that  the  commission  houses 
on  Washington  Street  were  responsible  for  the  hold- 
ing back  of  the  necessary  supplies  and  had  their 
warehouses  stocked  in  preparation  for  further  rise 
in  the  price  of  staples.  Some  of  the  leaders  there- 
fore issued  a  placard  calling  a  meeting  for  4  P.  M. 
in  City  Hall  Park  to  demand  reduction  in  the 
prices  of  bread,  meat,  rent  and  fuel.  When  they 
assenr^.bled,  one  of  the  leading  agitators  addressed 
the  gathering  and  one  of  the  first  statements  was 
to  the  effect  that  Eli  Hart,  one  of  the  city's  lead- 
ing merchants,  had  three  thousand  barrels  of  flour 
in  his  store.  1  his  dispersed  the  City  Hall  assembly 
in  the  direction  of  Hart's  store.  The  Mayor  at- 
tempted to  stop  the  crowd  but  was  stoned  for 
his  pains.    The  crowd  broke  into  Hart's  premises 


and  :.orn  were  rolling  barrels  of  flour  from  the 
upper  windows  and  dashing  them  to  the  ground. 
About  five  hundred  barrels  had  been  smashed  in 
this  way  when  the  approach  of  troops  caused  the 
mob  to  dispersf .  Some  other  warehouses  were  at- 
li'.ckcd  with  less  damage  but  the  riot  was  soon  over. 

Although  this  riot  record  of  the  'Thirties  sounds 
discouraging  there  is  another  story  which  coun- 
terbalances it.  Trade  had  greatly  improved  after 
a  ten-year  slump  following  the  second  war  with 
Britain  and  in  1825  the  imports  for  New  York 
were  $50,024,973,  of  which  over  $48,000,000 
came  in  American  vessels  and  the  value  of  exports 
the  same  year  was  $34,032,279,  of  which  over 
$19,000,000  was  carried  in  American  bottoms. 

A  question  long  agitated  was  that  of  a  suf- 
ficient water  supply.  The  wooden  pipes  and 
pumps  in  the  streets  which  the  Manhattan  Com- 
pany had  put  in  were  at  first  supplied  from  the 
Collect  Pond  and  afterward  from  various  meager 
sources  on  Manhattan  Island.  Samuel  Stevens, 
who  for  years  represented  the  Second  Ward  as 
alderman  and  assistant  alderman,  had  made  the 
question  of  adequate  water  supply  his  hobby.  His 
proposition  was  to  bring  the  water  supply  fo.-  New 
York  from  the  Croton  River,  forty  miles  dis- 
tant. At  first  many  regarded  his  plan  with  amuse- 
ment and  its  author  as  a  well  meaning  but  not 
too  well  balanced  optimist.  But  Stevens  earned 
a  place  of  prominence  in  the  board,  and  war.  its 
first  president  under  the  amended  charter  of  1  830 
lor  the  years  1831  and  1832.  He  kept  ham- 
mering at  his  idea  and  formulated  a  proposition 
for  its  accomplishment  which  he  induced  the  Board 
of  Aldermen  to  submit  to  a  popular  vote  at  the 
spring  election  of  1  835  and  it  carried  by  an  em- 
phatic approval.  The  work  was  soon  begun  and 
or,  December  1  6,  1  835,  a  very  pointed  object  les- 
son in  the  need  for  this  new  enterprise  was  fur- 
nished by  the  breaking  out  of  what  proved  to  be 
the  rrost  disastrous  fire  that  has  ever  visited  the 
city,  the  utmost  efforts  failing  to  get  it  under  con- 
trol until  the  18th.  It  burned  along  Wall  Street 
from  East  River  to  Exchange  Place,  to  Beaver 
Street,  Hanover  Square,  Coenties  Slip,  and  back 
to  the  river,  covering  an  irregularly  triangular  piece 
of  ground  thirteen  acres  in  extent,  destroying  693 
houses  and  stores  as  follows:  Wall  Street,  26; 
South  Street,  76;  Front  Street,  80;  Water  Street, 
76;  Pearl  Street,  79;  Exchange  Place,  62; 
Gouverneur's  Lane,  20;  Jones's  Lane,  10;  Ex- 
change Alley,  31  ;  William  Street.  44;  Old  Slip 
33;  Stone  Street,  40;  Mill  (now  South  William) 
Street,  38;  Beaver  Street,  23;  Hanover  Street, 
16;  Coenties  Slip,  16;  Hanover  Square,  3;  Cuy- 
ler's  Alley,  20.  The  propert/  loss  exceeded 
eighteen  million  dollars.  The  South  Dutch 
Church  in  Garden  Street,  and  the  fine  Merchants' 
Exchange  Building,  completed  in  1827  and  after 


36 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


that  becoming  the  meeting  place  of  the  merchants 
of  the  city  and  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
New  York,  were  destroyed.  The  Merchants'  Ex- 
change was  a  fine  marble  building  occupying  the 
site  now  taken  up  by  the  City  National  Bank. 
Most  of  the  losses  fell  upon  the  owners,  the  total 
being  so  great  that  nearly  all  of  the  companies 
carrying  the  risks  were  unable  to  meet  them  and 
failed.  The  supply  of  water  would  not  have  been 
anywhere  near  adequate  at  the  best  but  the  freez- 
ing weather  ihade  it  difficult  to  use  what  there 
was.  Their  losses  loaded  many  of  the  merchants 
and  house-owners  with  heavy  burdens  but  nearly 
all  of  them  managed  to  rebuild  within  a  short 
time  and  uniformly  with  structures  that  were  of 
a  much  improved  quality. 

The  struggle  of  Jackson  with  the  United  States 
Bank  is  a  sufficiently  well  known  chapter  of  Amer- 
ican history  to  excuse  a  repetition  here;  but  it  was 
very  unpopular  with  most  of  the  business  com- 
munities of  the  large  cities.  At  the  present  dis- 
tance from  the  event  it  seems  very  evident  that  the 
strenuous  action  taken  by  "Old  Hickory"  to  stop 
wild  speculation,  wild-cat  banking,  unsound  finan- 
ciering, and  irresponsible  issues  of  paper  money 
were  fully  justified  even  at  the  cost  of  the  serious 
times  precipitated  by  the  panic  of  1837.  Some  of 
the  results  to  the  business  community  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  another  chapter  devoted  to  the  financial 
history  of  the  city  but  it  will  be  appropriate  to 
refer  here  to  the  plan  originated  by  Levi  Wood- 
bury, then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  and  submit- 
ted to  a  special  session  by  President  Van  Buren 
by  which  an  independent  United  States  Treasury 
was  established  as  a  depositary  of  Government 
funds,  with  branches  in  a  few  principal  commer- 
cial centers,  of  which  that  in  New  York  has  al- 
ways been  of  great  benefit  to  the  city's  financial 
life.  In  the  first  place  it  was  found  to  be  a 
great  aid  to  the  measures  taken  by  the  bankers  of 
New  York  and  other  cities,  under  the  leadership 
of  Albert  Gallatin,  to  resume  specie  payments  and 
to  rehabilitate  the  business  of  the  banks  which 
had  been  compelled  to  suspend  in  the  heat  of  the 
panic. 

New  York  in  the  present  day  always  impress- 
es the  stranger  who  visits  if  as  an  unfinished  city. 
New  houses  are  constantly  being  erected,  some 
of  the  principal  streets  are  always  being  torn  up 
for  subways  or  repaving  or  service  wires  and 
pipes.  The  rapidity  of  its  growth  pushes  its  resi- 
dence districts  farther  afield,  converts  slums  into 
business  centers  and  fine  residence  districts  into 
slums  as  the  various  strata  of  condition  and  race 
ebb  and  flow  on  a  sea  of  change  in  this  cosmo- 
politan and  polyglot  metropolis.  Back  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Nineteenth  Century  there  was  not 
much  of  this  admixture.  The  great  majority  of 
the  people  of  New  York  were  of  the  racial  strains 


which  had  first  settled  the  Island — Dutch,  Walloon, 
Huguenot  and  British.  A  few  Jews,  not  many 
Germans,  some  Irish,  a  hundred  or  so  French 
emigre's  who  had  fled  from  the  Terror,  or  French 
Republicans  of  a  faction  which  had  become  un- 
popular, made  exceptions  to  the  rule  that  the  popu- 
laton  was  in  the  main  native-born  to  American 
soil.  But  there  were  constant  physical  changes 
even  then.  Gulian  C.  Verplanck,  in  letters  pub- 
lished in  the  Talisman  in  1829  under  the  pen- 
name  of  Francis  Herbert,  writes  upon  returning 
after  a  long  absence  of  the  impression  of  change 
the  city  gave  him.  He  notices  Pine  Street  as 
typical.  Thirty  years  before  there  were,  he  re- 
calls, "low,  cheerful-looking  two-story  buildings 
of  light-colored  brick  or  wood,  painted  white  or 
yellow,  and  which  scarcely  seemed  a  hindrance  to 
the  air  or  sunshine."  But  by  1829  Pine  Street 
was  so  full  of  blocks  of  tall  massive  buildings  as 
to  "overshadow  the  narrow  passage  between  and 
make  it  one  of  the  gloomiest  streets  of  New  York." 
But  that  interesting  observer  never  dreamed  of  a 
Pine  Street  with  buildings  ten  times  higher  than 
the  "tall,  massive  buildings"  of  1829. 

In  1 830  there  had  been  a  considerable  settle- 
ment built  up  along  the  Bowery  Road  and  some 
fine  residences  were  over  on  Second  Avenue  but 
the  really  fashionable  people  still  lived  on  streets 
farther  downtown.  The  northern  limit  of  the 
higher  strata  of  fashionable  society  was  Warren 
Street,  which  at  that  time  contained  the  homes 
of  some  of  the  most  select  people.  Two  families 
who  had  built  marble  houses  on  Chambers  Street 
were  considered  as  very  extravagant  to  place  such 
buildings  so  far  out  of  town.  By  1837  some 
fine  people  like  the  Albert  Gallatin  family  had 
built  mansions  far  uptown  (his  house  was  on 
Bleecker  Street),  but  the  houses  in  that  neighbor- 
hood were  mostly  cottages  owned  by  respectable 
thrifty  folk  for  whose  benefit  a  Presbyterian 
Church  had  been  erected  in  Bleecker  Street.  There 
was  a  colony  of  high  class  families  around  St. 
John's  Park  and  in  the  neighborhood  of  Varick 
and  Laight  Streets  was  a  respectable  settlement ; 
and  there  were  other  localities  both  on  the  East 
and  West  Sides  of  the  city  in  which  thriving  com- 
munities of  home-loving  folk  lived  in  their  own 
cottages  in  typically  American  fashion.  Washing- 
ton Square,  then  a  parade  ground,  had  just  been 
converted  to  that  use  from  its  former  one  as  a 
Potter's  Field. 

The  population  of  New  York  by  the  Govern- 
ment Census  of  1830  was  202,589  and  the  enum- 
eration by  the  Mayor's  marshals  in  1 835  totaled 
270,068.  In  the  late  months  of  1837  the  town 
was  being  torn  up  for  improvements.  In  the  lower 
part  of  the  city  there  was  still  much  building  going 
on  to  repair  the  damage  done  by  the  fire  of  1835. 
But  then,  and  for  several  years  after,  building  was 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


37 


actively  being  prosecuted  in  all  parts  of  the  city, 
principally  in  substituting  structures  of  brick  and 
iron  in  place  of  the  wooden  buildings  that  had  out- 
lived their  beauty  as  well  as  their  usefulness.  Park 
Place,  Murray  Street  and  Warren  Street,  with 
parts  of  Broadway,  had  for  some  years  been  the 
abodes  of  fashion,  and  the  fashion  center  was  ex- 
panding into  Chambers,  Franklin  and  White  Streets 
and  East  Broadway.  A  few  of  the  wealthy 
people,  desiring  larger  grounds,  had  built  man- 
sions in  lower  Fifth  Avenue  and  around  University 
Square. 

There  were  few  parks.  Bowling  Green  and  St. 
John's  Park  being  private  enclosures,  kept  green 
for  the  exclusive  benefit  of  those  who  lived  around 
them.  Vauxhall  Gardens  was  a  favorite  resort 
of  the  populace,  occupying  most  of  the  block 
bounded  by  Fourth  Avenue,  Fourth  Street,  Laf- 
r.yette  Place  and  Astor  Place,  the  site  of  the 
Astor  Library  being  part  of  it.  The  Battery  was 
open  and  free.  Washington  Square  was  the  pa- 
rade and  review  ground  of  the  militia.  Union 
Square  was  in  a  region  still  sparsely  settled  and 
looked  upon  as  out  of  town.  Gramercy  Park  had 
been  given  for  public  use  by  the  late  Samuel  B. 
Fxuggles  but  was  not  improved  or  even  laid  out 
until  1840.  After  that,  with  a  fountain,  which 
was  installed  at  a  cost  of  $3,000,  it  was  one  of 
the  great  attractions  of  the  town. 

The  halls  of  the  city  were  Washington  Hall, 
which  had  been  built  by  the  Federalists  early  in 
the  century  and  continued  until  taken  down  in 
1845  to  make  room  for  A.  T.  Stewart's  store. 
It  was  located  on  Broadway  at  Chambers  Street. 
The  Masonic  Hall  on  Broadway  and  Pearl  Street 
was  considered,  next  to  the  Merchants'  Exchange 
which  was  burned  in  1835,  New  York's  finest 
building.  Clinton  Hall  was  at  the  southwest 
corner  of  Nassau  and  Beekman  Streets.  It  con- 
tained the  picture  exhibit  of  the  National  Academy 
of  Design,  which  had  been  organized  with  Samuel 
F.  B.  Morse  (inventor  of  the  telegraph),  as  pres- 
ident, in  1826.  Another  art  gallery,  with  a  larger 
exhibit  of  pictures,  was  that  of  the  American  Art 
Union,  at  497  Broadway,  which  included  foreign 
as  well  as  American  art. 

The  City  Hotel,  at  Broadway  and  Thames 
Street,  occupying  the  site  of  the  former  mansion 
of  the  loyalist  Lieutenant-Governor  Delancey  and 
which  was  the  first  house  in  America  to  have  a 
slate  roof,  was  notable  as  the  best  hotel  in  the 
United  States.  The  Astor  House  was  a  strong 
rival  and  soon  took  the  primacy,  to  retain  it  for 
many  years  until  fashion  moved  uptown. 

In  no  respect  had  the  change  worked  in  New 
York  been  greater  than  in  the  mixture  of  its  popu- 
lation. New  York  had  even  in  the  old  days  been 
in  a  sense  a  cosmopolitan  city  because  sailors  and 


\isitors  of  all  nations  could  be  seen  in  its  streets, 
but  as  the  century  opened  it  was  so  preponderantly 
native-born  and  Protestant  that  the  foreign  visitors 
were  only  an  incident  of  its  floating  population. 
But  after  steam  navigation  began  and  the  Amer- 
ican "clipper"  was  evolved  as  the  world's  marvel 
of  speed  for  sailing  vessels,  the  immigration  from 
Europe  set  in.  America  was  recognized  in  the 
old  countries  as  the  asylum  of  the  oppressed  and  as 
the  improvement  in  shipping  brought  fares  down 
tn  that  the  discontented  of  Europe  could  by 
a  little  saving  secure  enough  to  pay  their  passage, 
immigrants  began  to  arrive  in  increasing  volume. 
The  aliens  coming  to  the  United  States  for  the 
decade  1822-1831   numbered  156.943,  but  this 


Old  Dutch  Church,  WiUiam  and  Fulton  Streets. 


included  visitors  as  well  as  immigrants,  the  records 
then  making  no  distinction  between  the  two  classes. 
The  numbers  coming  were  under  1  0.000  per  year 
until  1828.  under  20,000  until  1828,  when  27,- 
382  arrived,  then  for  three  years  were  below  24,- 
000.  In  1831  there  were  22,633  arrivals,  sudden- 
ly increasing  to  60,482  in  1832,  and  in  the  dec- 
ade from  1832  to  1841,  inclusive,  there  were 
657,077  arrivals  of  alien  passengers  in  the  United 
States  or  more  than  four  times  as  many  as  those 
who  came  in  the  previous  decade.  From  the  first, 
the  bulk  of  the  immigration  came  through  the  port 
of  New  York  and  all  the  time  a  considerable  per- 
centage of  those  coming  found  New  York  suffici- 
ently attractive  to  settle  within  its  bounds. 

Immigration  was  adversely  affected  by  the  panic 


38 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


of  1837  but  not  loi  long.  J  liere  arrived  79,340 
alien  passengers  in  1837  but  the  number  dropped 
to  38,914  or  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  in  1838. 
But  the  number  rose  to  68,069  in  1839  and  to 
84.000  in  1840.  The  potato  famine  in  Ireland 
in  I  846  gave  a  great  impetus  to  Irish  immigration, 
the  total  number  of  alien  passengers  bemg 
I  54.4  I  6  in  that  year  and  234,968  in  1  847.  large- 
ly Irish.  The  political  troubles  in  Europe  in 
1848  started  a  great  immigration  from  the  Con- 
tinent, chiefly  Germany,  the  Germans  soon  out- 
numbcrmg  the  Irish  m  the  eagerness  with  which 
they  sought  these  hospitable  shores.  The  gold  dis- 
coveries in  California  in  1849  and  1850  greatly 
increased  the  immigration  from  all  sources. 

The  immigration  to  New  York  finally  affected 
its  p.oiiiics.  The  number  of  city  wards  was  in- 
creased to  sixteen  in  1835  and  to  seventeen  in  1836 
T  lu  Whigs  were  successful  in  the  elections  of  1837 
and  1  838.  electing  Aaron  Clark  as  Mayor,  being 
the  second  Mayor  of  the  city  elected  by  popular 
vote,  and  also  securing  majorities  of  both  boards  of 
the  Common  Council.  The  Democrats  won  in 
1839,  electing  Isaac  L.  Varian  as  Mayor  and 
re-electing  him  in  1840.  Robert  Morris,  of  the 
well-known  Revolutionary  family,  was  Tammany's 
selection  for  Mayor  in  1841,  1842  and  1843. 

As  the  naturalization  laws  made  the  immigrant 
eligible  to  citizenship  within  five  years  Tammany 
saw  a  way  to  greatly  increase  its  power  by  cater- 
ing to  the  foreign  element.  It  was  strengthened 
in  adding  to  the  potential  strength  of  the  new 
comers  by  the  law  of  New  York  passed  in  1842, 
eliminating  the  property  qualification  for  voters. 
It  was  not  long  before,  under  Tammany  domi- 
nance, the  recent  immigrants  were  holding  office 
as  well  as  voting,  the  political  rewards  being  par- 
celled out  to  members  of  different  nationalities 
who  could  control  votes  in  their  wards.  In  these 
foreign  born  office-holders  the  Irish  predominated, 
the  members  of  that  race  evincing  a  positive  gen- 
ius for  ward  politics.  The  Democrats  and  Whigs 
had  for  some  years  been  the  opposing  factors  in 
city  elections  but  there  was  a  feeling  that  a  Mayor 
should  be  selected  who  would  not  follow  this 
Tammany  plan  of  giving  the  offices  to  recent  aliens 
and  so  in  1 844  the  party  of  Native  Americans, 
which  practically  took  over  three-fourths  of  the 
Whigs,  recruited  by  anti-Tammany  Democrats, 
elected  James  Harper  of  the  famous  publishing 
house  as  its  candidate  for  Mayor,  with  24,510 
votes  against  20,538  votes  for  Jonathan  L.  Cod- 
dingtan,  the  Democratic  candidate,  and  5,297  for 
Dudley  Selden,  the  Whig  candidate. 

One  of  the  greatest  celebrations  which  New 
York  ever  witnessed  was  that  which  occurred  on 
June  27.  1842,  in  connection  with  the  letting  in 
of  the  water  to  the  receiving  reservoir  at  Yorkville 
(Eighty-sixth  Street  and  Sixth  Avenue),  in  which 


ceremony  the  Mayor  and  C  ouncil.  Governor  and 
judges  participated,  and  on  July  4  following  there 
was  a  similar  celebration  when  the  water  was 
let  in  to  the  distributing  reservoir  at  Forty-second 
Street  and  Fifth  Avenue,  on  the  site  now  occu- 
pied by  our  present  magnificent  Public  Library. 
The  great  celebration,  however,  was  on  October 
14,  which  approached  in  magnificence  that  which 
had  attended  the  celebration  of  the  completion  of 
the  Erie  Canal.  These  two  events  held  the  record 
for  effective  display  until  the  Hudson-Fulton  cele- 
bration of  1  909. 

An  important  act  under  Mayor  Harper  was 
the  first  inauguration  of  a  uniformed  police  force. 
Before  that  the  city  ordinance  had  provided  for 
three  forces,  the  watch,  the  municipal  police,  and 
the  police  proper,  but  had  not  very  carefully  de- 
fined their  separate  duties.  Mayor  Harper  ap- 
pointed the  first  uniformed  Municipal  Police, 
about  two  hundred,  but  left  the  old  night  watch 
numbering  about  one  thousand.  The  only  uniform 
of  the  latter  was  the  hat,  which  was  like  a  fire- 
man's hat  without  its  front  helmet  piece,  and  gained 
for  the  watchmen  the  popular  designation  of 
"Leatherheads." 

In  the  election  of  1 845  Harper  was  defeat- 
ed for  re-election,  receiving  only  I  7,485  votes 
against  7,032  votes  for  Dudley  Selden,  the  Whig 
candidate,  and  24.307  votes  for  William  Fred- 
erick Havemeyer.  the  Democratic  candidate. 

The  year  1 845  brought  the  completion  of  the 
magnetic  telegraph,  the  New  York.  Philadelphia 
and  Washington  Line  being  the  second  telegraph 
line  ever  constructed;  the  first,  between  Washing- 
ton and  Baltimore,  having  been  completed  in  the 
previous  year.  Connections  with  Albany  and 
Boston  followed  in  1846. 

There  was  another  disastrous  fire  which  brought 
losses  variously  estimated  at  from  six  millions  to 
ten  millions  of  dollars.  It  completely  wiped  out 
the  houses  on  Exchange  Place  and  on  Beaver 
Street,  from  Broadway  almost  to  William  Street, 
Broad  Street  (both  sides)  from  above  Exchange 
Place  and  the  east  side  of  Broadway  south  of 
Exchange  Place.  Whitehall  Street  was  also 
burned  out.  Several  houses  on  the  east  side  of 
Broadway  were  also  consumed. 

The  Police  Department  was  systematically  or- 
ganized and  increased  to  eight  hundred  men  under 
Mayor  Havemeyer  in  1845  and  this  force  was 
ctjriMnued  under  a  chief  of  police  appointed  by  the 
Mavor,  until  the  new  Metropolitan  Police  Act  of 
1  856.  The  Democrats  elected  Andrew  H.  Mickle 
Mayor  in  1846.  The  Whigs  were  successful,  with 
WiUiam  V.  Brady  in  1847.  and  William  F. 
Havemeyer  was    given    another    term    in  1848. 

The  Astor  Place  riot  of  1849.  which  was 
ba'ed  upon  the  professional  jealousy  between  those 
two  eminent  tragedians.  Edwin  Forrest,  American, 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND    NEW  39 


40 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


..I'd  William  C.  Macready,  llnj^lish.  occurred  in 
May.  1849.  The  falling  out  of  these  two  actors 
brought  nothing  more  serious  than  an  epistolary 
battle  in  the  newspapers  and  Macready  hajl  en- 
joyed a  successful  season  on  his  third  visit  to  New 
\'ork  in  1  848.  Forrest  had  stirred  up  some  feel- 
ing by  ascribing  to  Macready  an  unfriendly  re- 
ception which  had  met  him  in  1-ondon  shortly  be- 
fore: a  charge  which  Macready  stoutly  and,  it  is 
believed,  truthfully  denied,  but  when  he  came  in 
1849,  Macready  was  made  the  victim  of  nativistic 
resentment  growing  out  of  these  charges  and  rumors. 

Caleb  S.  Woodhull  had  just  been  elected  Mayoi 
as  a  Whig  with  the  native  American  endorsement, 
and  the  feeling  against  aliens  which  was  engendered 
in  the  election  was  still  potent.  Monday  night 
Forrest's  adherents  packed  the  theatre  and  broke  up 
the  performance  by  coarse  epithets  hurled  at  Mrs. 


spite  ol  the  ijiealest  possible  precautions  there 
were  several  disturbers  in  the  Macready  audience 
and  they  made  a  rush  to  the  stage  to  seize  Ma- 
cready but  were  stopped  by  the  police  and  eject- 
ed. A  mob  outside  assaulted  the  police  and  were 
overpowering  them  when  a  troop  of  horse  pre- 
ceding the  Seventh  Regiment  came  on  the  scene. 
The  horsemen  were  overpowered  by  the  mob  when 
the  Seventh  Regiment  appeared.  The  Mayor 
adjured  the  crowd  to  retire  but  they  paid  no  heed. 
The  Sheriff,  Westervelt,  after  consulting  with 
General  Charles  W.  Sandford  ordered  that  a 
volley  be  fired  over  the  heads  of  the  crowd 
at  the  dead  wall  of  the  house  opposite.  This 
order  was  obeyed  but  only  brought  jeers  and 
a  shower  of  missiles.  Then  the  soldiers  were 
ordered  to  reload,  aim  low  and  fire.  Many  of 
the  crowd  were  killed  and  wounded,  and  the  oth- 


Old  Union  Square. 


Pope  as  Lady  Macbeth,  and  the  same  emphasized 
with  foul  eggs  and  heavy  missiles  at  Macready. 
The  play  was  stopped  and  the  disturbers  went 
triumphantly  home.  Macready  proposed  to  throw 
up  the  engagement.  But  the  manager,  backed  by 
the  written  request  of  more  than  forty  of  the  lead- 
ing citizens  of  New  York  promising  protection  from 
any  repetition  of  the  outrage  of  the  opening 
night,  induced  Macready  to  agree  to  appear 
on  Thursday.  Handbills  denouncing  foreign- 
ers and  threatening  all  Americans  who  should 
appear  at  the  "English  aristocratic  opera  house" 
were  stuck  up  everywhere  and  bills  announcing  a 
performance  by  Edwin  Forrest  of  the  same  play 
at  Wallack's  Broadway  Theatre  were  posted  along- 
side the  Macready  announcements. 

When  the  curtain  went  up  it  was  found  that  in 


ers  dispersed,  but,  being  pursued  into  Third  Ave- 
nue, gathered  missiles  and  made  another  rally  but 
were  finally  dispersed  with  another  fatal  volley. 
Generals  Sandford  and  Hall  and  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Brinckerhoff  were  injured  by  the 
rioters  as  well  as  one  hundred  and  forty- 
one  members  of  the  Seventh  Regiment  includ- 
ing Colonel  Duryee  and  Captains  Henry  C.  Shum- 
way  and  William  A.  Pond.  Thirty-four  of  the 
mob  were  killed  and  many  injured.  Macready 
finished  his  performance  and  went  to  Boston  and 
thence  soon  after  to  England. 

During  <vll  the  changes  and  exciting  incidents 
the  town  had  continued  to  progress  and  passed  the 
half  million  mark  during  the  decade  ended  1850 
when  the  population,  by  the  Federal  Census,  was 
313,477. 


CHAPTER  FOUR 


From  1850  to  the  Close  of  the  Civil  War 


An  Era  of  Social  and  Civic  Progress  Followed  by  Local  Dissension  and  War 

Participation. 


DURING  the  fifth  decade  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century  the  population  had  grown  from 
312,852  in  1840  to  515.477  m  1850. 
From  the  time  that  the  office  of  Mayor  had 
been  made  elective,  with  Cornelius  Van  Wyck 
Lawrence  as  the  first  incumbent  under  that  plan 
in  1834,  the  term  had  been  for  one  year  only, 
a  plan  which  seldom  gives  a  good  mayor  a  chance 
to  develop  his  highest  capacities.  But  the  legisla- 
ture in  1  849  gave  the  city  an  amended  charter,  one 
of  the  features  of  which  was  the  extension  of  the 
terms  of  Mayor  and  Aldermen  to  two  years,  be- 
ginning January  1 ,  following  the  election,  and 
changing  the  date  of  the  charter  election  from 
April  to  coincide  with  the  general  election  in  No- 
vember. Under  this  arrangement  the  first  incum- 
bent was  Ambrose  C.  Kingsland,  elected  in  No- 
vember, 1850,  as  the  candidate  of  the  Whig 
Party.  He  was  the  last  to  be  elected  Mayor 
under  that  political  designation,  the  party  itself  dy- 
ing a  natural  death  in  1  852,  when  its  Presidential 
ticket— Winfield  Scott  of  New  Jersey  and  Wil- 
liam A.  Graham  of  North  Carolina — went  dawn 
to  defeat  with  only  42  electoral  votes  to  oppose 
the  254  cast  for  the  Democratic  candidates.  Frank- 
lin Pierce  of  New  Hampshire  and  William  R. 
King  of  Alabama.  Mr.  Kingsland  would  prob- 
ably not  have  been  elected  Mayor  in  1 850  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  fact  that  there  was  at  this 
time  a  recrudescence  of  the  nativist  sentiment  which 
had  elected  James  Harper  Mayor  seven  years  be- 
fore, the  immigration  having  meanwhile  increased 
by  200  per  cent.  The  element  which  was  rapidly 
forming  into  the  secret  Know-Nothing  movement 
joined  with  the  Whigs  in  the  election  of  Kingsland. 
His  opponent  was  a  popular  business  man,  Fer- 
nando Wood,  of  Southern  origin,  who  had  served 
a  term  in  Congress  and  was  chairman  of  a  young 
men's  political  organization.  In  1852  the  election 
for  Mayor  was  at  the  same  time  as  the  National 


election  with  results  equally  Democratic,  Jacob  A. 
Westervelt,  who  had  been  sheriff  of  New  York 
County,  being  elected  Mayor.  He  was  a  ship- 
builder and  among  other  vessels  constructed  the 
United  States  steam  frigate  Brooklyn. 

It  was  a  greatly  advanced  New  York  in  which 
the  second  half  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  opened. 
The  telegraph  had  revolutionized  the  methods  of 
business.  The  railroad  had  connected  it  with  the 
surrounding  country  but  there  was  much  confusion 
because  the  systems  which  we  now  know  were,  as 
far  as  they  then  existed,  composed  of  a  lot  of  short 
roads  under  diverse  ownership.  Between  Albany 
and  Buffalo  there  were  ten  separate  roads.  These 
were  consolidated  in  April,  1853,  into  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad.  Between  New  York  and 
Albany  were  the  Harlem  Railroad,  chartered  April 
25,  1831,  and  the  Hudson  River  Railroad,  char- 
tered May  12,  1846,  and  completed  to  Albany 
October  3,  I  85  1 .  The  corporate  union  of  these 
with  the  New  York  Central  was  effected  Novem- 
ber 1 ,   1 869,  by  consolidation. 

The  fiist  trunk  line  to  connect  New  York  traffic 
with  the  Great  Lakes  was  the  New  York  & 
Erie  Railroad  Company  chartered  April  24,  1832, 
to  lay  a  single,  double  or  triple  track  from  the 
City  of  New  York  to  Lake  Erie.  It  was  ham- 
pered by  many  causes,  physical  and  political,  but 
the  road  as  laid  out  from  Piermont  on  the  Hud- 
son to  Dunkirk  on  Lake  Erie  was  completed  in 
May,  I  85  I .  The  connecting  of  the  city  by  suc- 
cessive railroad  lines  with  the  great  West  en- 
dowed it  with  the  metropolitan  character  which 
has  year  by  year  become  more  strongly  empha- 
sized. 

Besides  enhanced  facilities  of  transportation  and 
communication.  New  York  had  gained  many 
things  which  added  to  its  municipal  and  social  ad- 
vantage. John  Jacob  Astor,  the  richest  merchant 
of  the  city,  who  died  in  1 848,  left  the  sum  of 


42 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


lour  liundied  thousand  dollars  as  a  library  endow- 
inenl  lo  the  city  in  which  he  had  prospered  so 
greatly.  1  he  Aster  Free  Public  Library  was  in- 
corporated January  I  3,  1 849,  and  work  upon  its 
building  was  begun.  It  was  opened  to  the  pub- 
lic in  February,  1854,  and  in  1858  was  consid- 
erably enlarged  through  the  liberality  of  William 
B.  Aslor,  son  of  the  original  donor. 

1  he  New  York  Free  Academy,  designed  lo 
give  to  the  youth  of  the  city  who  had  for  at 
least  one  year  attended  its  public  schools  the  bene- 
fit of  academic  training,  was  established  in  1849 
in  Twenty-third  Street,  corner  of  Lexington  Av- 
enue. It  \vas  given  collegiate  powers  in  1858  and 
in  I  866  assumed  its  present  title  of  The  College 
of  the  City  of  New  York.  It  is  recognized  inter- 
nationally as  the  most  nearly  complete  collegiate  in- 
stitution in  the  world  which  is  a  part  of  a  city's 
public  free  school  system.  Its  management  and 
corps  of  instructors  include  educators,  scholars  and 
scientists  of  the  highest  rank.  In  1 882  the  re- 
quirement of  previous  attendance  at  the  public 
schools  was  repealed  and  as  a  consequence  the 
advantages  of  this  great  institution  of  higher  learn- 
ing are  now  available  to  any  young  man  of  the 
city  who  can  pass  the  entrance  examinations. 

The  New  York  Association  for  Improving  the 
Condition  of  the  Poor  though  originally  organized 
in  I  843  was  not  incorporated  until  I  848.  It  has 
a  glorious  record  of  work  of  genuine  relief  of  the 
destitute,  and  of  rehabilitation  of  those  who  through 
sickness  or  misfortune  were  temporarily  in  dire 
need.  The  New  York  Juvenile  Asylum,  another 
benevolent  enterprise  of  beneficent  record,  was  es- 
tablished in  1  85  1 .  The  Five  Points  Mission,  in- 
augurated in  1850  by  the  New  York  Ladies' 
Home  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church,  has  an  international  reputation  as 
one  of  the  most  successful  religious  and  reform- 
atory enterprises  ever  established  in  any  city.  The 
Five  Points  House  of  Industry,  originally  con- 
nected with  it  but  taken  over  as  a  part  of  the  in- 
stitutional work  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
of  the  Ascension  in  1851,  is  another  enterprise  of 
practical  benevolence  which  has  helpfully  touched 
many  thousands  of  unfortunates. 

In  1846  Rev.  Dr.  'William  A.  Muhlenberg, 
then  rector  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  of 
the  Holy  Communion,  took  up  a  collection  to 
found  a  hospital  which  should  be  conducted  un- 
der the  auspices  of  the  denomination.  He  received 
$30  but  kept  up  the  appeal  constantly  in  a  quiet 
way  until  1850  when  a  public  appeal  resulted  in 
the  formation  of  a  corporation  and  the  receipt  of 
subscriptions  aggregating  $100,000.  Beginning  in 
a  small  building  on  Sixth  Avenue  it  removed  to  a 
large  structure  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  West  Fifty- 
fourth  Street  where  it  remained  until  it  removed  to 
the  group  of  handsome  buildings,  designed  by  Er- 
nest Flagg,  which  are  now  occupied  on  Morning- 


side  Heights  at  One  1  lundred  and  1  hirteeiith 
Street. 

The  De  Milt  Dispensary,  established  in  1851, 
has  since  185  3  occupied  its  own  building  at  Second 
Avenue  and  I  vventy-third  Street.  It  has  been  minis- 
tering to  the  afflicted  of  the  East  Side  ever  since. 

When  George  Williams,  a  dry  goods  clerk  in 
London,  moved  by  the  spirit  of  Christian  fellow- 
ship, established  a  small  society  among  his  young 
Iriends  and  called  it  I  he  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association,  he  builded  far  better  than  he  knew. 

i  hat  was  in  1  844,  but  the  idea  was  so  sound  and 
io  helpful  that  it  soon  spread  over  the  English- 
sjieaking  world.  It  reached  this  continent  in  1851, 
when  branch  associations  were  founded  in  Montreal 
and  Boston,  and  in  1852  the  New  York  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  was  founded  at  a 
meeting  presided  over  by  Rev.  Gregory  I .  Bedell, 
then  rector  of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension  but  later 
Protestant  Episcopal  Bishop  of  Ohio.  Rev.  Dr. 
Isaac  Ferris  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  Church  and 
leading  ministers  of  other  denominations  took  part 
in  the  proceedings  and  many  of  the  young  men 
who  enrolled  then  as  first  members  of  the  Associa- 
tion have  since  been  notable  as  leaders  in  the 
business,  religious  and  philanthropic  life  of  the  city. 

The  Association  now  has  several  branches  in  the 
Greater  City  and  is  entrenched  in  the  approval  of 
itb  people  as  was  attested  when  three  or  four  years 
ago  a  fund  of  four  million  dollars  was  raised  for 
necessary  extensions  of  its  facilities  and  those  of  its 
sister  organizaton,  the  Young  Women's  Christian 
Association. 

September,  1 850,  was  marked  by  a  musical 
event  which  passed  into  popular  tradition  as  the 
most  historic  of  its  kind  in  the  annals  of  the  city. 
Jenny  Lind,  the  Swedish  soprano  who  in  her  day 
was  known  everywhere  as  "the  Swedish  Night- 
ingale," was  introduced  to  an  American  audience 
by  that  almost  equally  famous  showman,  Phineas 
r.  Barnum.  Castle  Garden  was  the  old  fortress 
which  after  the  British  evacuated  New  York  was 
variously  used  and  early  in  the  Nineteenth  Century 
!)ecame  a  summer  garden  and  the  scene  of  im- 
portant gatherings  such  as  the  reception  of  General 
Lafayette  in  1 824  and  of  President  Jackson  in 
1832.  Probably  no  other  musical  artist  who  ever 
came  to  New  York  ever  had  so  overwhelming  a 
reception  as  Miss  Lind.  Those  who  heard  her, 
and  that  seems  to  have  been  everybody  then  living 
in  New  York,  came  away  her  lifelong  captive 
svho  would  never  admit  that  any  other  great  singer 
was  at  all  to  be  compared  to  Jenny  Lind. 

Castle  Garden  was  later  the  immigration  office 
which  foreigners  passed  through  as  they  now  are 
received  at  Ellis  Island,  and  after  the  removal  of 
the  immigrants  to  that  island  the  site  was  turned 
ever  for  use  as  the  New  York  Aquarium. 

The  opening  on  July  4.   185  3,  of  the  Crystal 


44 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


Palace  al  l' orty-second  Street  and  l  ifth  A\  enue, 
on  the  site  of  what  is  now  known  as  Bryant  Park, 
of  the  "World's  Fair  for  the  Exhibition  of  the  In- 
dustry of  all  Nations"  was  a  great  enterprise,  mod- 
eled upon  the  plan  of  the  Crystal  Palace  Exhi- 
bition m  London  in  1851  (the  first  of  the  World's 
Fairs).  It  occupied  a  great  building  of  iron  and 
glass,  with  exhibits  and  a  great  art  gallery  which 
for  months  drew  many  thousands  of  visitors.  Presi- 
dent Franklin  Pierce  spoke  at  the  opening  ceremony. 
It  continued  several  months  and  in  May,  1854,  was 
openeci  as  a  permanent  exhibition  until  the  attend- 
ance dwindled  so  as  to  make  it  no  longer  profitable. 
It  was  closed  for  a  time  and  later  was  used  for 
various  large  gatherings  until  it  was  destroyed  by 
lire  on  October  5,  1858. 

7  he  announcement  of  the  discovery  of  gold  in 
California,  and  the  succession  of  fascinating  stories 
of  wonderful  gold  strikes  in  that  new  El  Dorado, 
had  a  stimulating  effect  on  shipbuilding  and  on  the 
sale  and  chartering  of  ships.  Of  these  industries 
New  York  was  the  great  center,  and  the  fame  of 
the  wonderful  New  York  "clippers,"  and  especially 
ct  Edwin  D.  Morgan's  "Dreadnaught,"  spread  to 
all  parts  of  the  maritime  world. 

The  New  York  Yacht  Club  was  organized  in 
1 844  as  the  result  of  the  efficient  efforts  of  John 
C.  Stevens,  who  became  the  first  commodore  of 
this,  the  foremost  and  oldest  yachting  organization 
in  this  country.  It  leaped  into  fame  in  1851 
when  Commodore  Stevens  and  his  associates,  hav- 
ing had  the  yacht  America  built  especially  for  the 
purpose,  won  the  Queen's  Cup  in  the  regatta  of 
the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron,  at  Cowes,  England. 
The  design  of  the  America  was  so  superior  for  rac- 
ing purposes  to  any  of  the  older  types  of  racing 
vessels  that  the  entire  art  of  yacht  design  was  re- 
modeled and  many  vessels,  built  in  British  and 
American  shipyards,  have  contended  in  internation- 
al competitions  for  what  has  long  been  known  as 
the  "America's  Cup."  Its  possession  still  re- 
mains with  the  New  York  Yacht  Club  although 
several  international  races  have  been  sailed  with 
English  competitors  among  whom  Sir  Thomas  Lip- 
ton  has  been  the  most  persistent. 

From  an  early  day  there  have  been  in  New 
York  men  of  vision  who  have  been  wise  enough 
lo  see  that  New  York  must  eventually  suffer  from 
human  congestion  and  that  this  must  be  to  a  degree 
remedied  or  at  least  alleviated  by  providing  breath- 
ing places  for  the  populace.  Among  the  earliest 
park  agitators  were  men  who  proposed  to  enclose 
a  large  park  around  the  Collect  Pond,  which  in 
Colonial  days  and  for  some  decades  afterward  was 
utilized  for  boating  in  the  summer  and  skating  in 
the  winter.  I  his  proposition  met  little  response. 
The  next  proposal  was  for  a  park  which  should 
cover  all  the  ground  from  Third  to  Eighth  Av- 


enues between  1  wenty-third  and  1  hirty-fourth 
Street.  1  his  project  left  a  small  reminder  in  the 
present  Madison  Square.  The  park  idea  had  been 
spread  among  the  people  by  these  and  other  sug- 
gestions and  one  that  made  a  good  impression  for 
a  time  had  to  do  w.th  Jones's  Woods,  a  stretch  of 
forest  land  east  of  Third  Avenue  between  Sixty- 
fifth  and  Sixty-seventh  Streets  to  the  East  River. 
1  his  site  was  so  far  favored  that  it  was  accepted 
by  city  ordinance  and  legislative  enactment  but  dis- 
cussion arose  in  which  it  was  objected  that  these 
woods  were  too  much  on  one  side  of  the  city,  and 
the  strip  was  too  narrow.  Finally  a  commission 
was  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Aldermen  to  choose 
a  site,  by  which  the  tract  between  Fifth  and  Eighth 
Avenues  from  Fifty-ninth  to  One  Hundred  and 
Sixth  Street  was  recommended  for  the  park  site. 
This  was  adopted  and  enacted  into  law  in  1856, 
and  the  northern  boundary  was  extended  to  One 
Hundred  and  Tenth  Street  in  1859.  The  won- 
derful work  of  Messrs.  Olmsted  and  Vaux,  the 
landscape  architects,  and  the  watchful  care  and 
vigilance  of  Andrew  Haswell  Green  as  President 
of  the  Central  Park  Board  from  185  7  to  1870 
completed  the  park  and  saw  it  safely  through  its 
ror.nnative  years.  Mr.  Green  served  the  city  faith- 
fully in  many  ways  that  added  to  its  beauty  and 
its  success  in  civic  matters.  The  square  between 
Eighth  and  Ninth  Avenues  from  Seventy-seventh 
lo  Eighty-first  Streets  and  which  had  previously 
been  known  as  Manhattan  Square  was  added  to  the 
Central  Park  area,  increasing  it  to  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-two  and  fifty-nine  one-hundredths  acres. 

Fernando  Wood,  who  had  been  defeated  by 
the  Whig-Know-Nothing  combination  for  Mayor 
in  1850,  had  not  been  a  candidate  in  1852  but 
had  devoted  his  attention  quite  closely  to  his 
shipping  business.  During  the  Westervelt  admin- 
istration there  was  considerable  demoralization  in 
the  various  departments,  and  in  1854  he  became 
the  successful  Democratic  candidate  for  Mayor. 
He  accomplished  some  reforms  in  the  various  de- 
partments and  gave  such  general  satisfaction  that 
he  was  easily  re-elected  in  1856. 

In  the  spring  of  1857  the  State  Legislature 
passed  several  bills  to  amend  the  city  charter  of 
New  York.  The  municipal  and  state  elections, 
which  had  been  before  that  held  on  the  same  day, 
were  to  be  separated,  the  city  election  being  fixed 
for  the  first  Tuesday  in  December.  The  Comp- 
troller and  Corporation  Counsel  as  well  as  the 
Mayor  were  to  be  elected  by  the  people  once  in 
two  years.  The  city  was  divided  into  seventeen 
aldermanic  districts,  from  each  of  which  an  alder- 
man was  to  be  elected  by  the  people  once  in  two 
years.  The  Board  of  Councilmen  was  composed 
of  six  members  elected  annually  from  each  Sena- 
torial district,  or  twenty-four  in  all.  The  Alms- 
house and  Fire  Departments  remained  unchanged 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


45 


and  the  superintendence  of  Central  Park  was  given 
to  a  Board,  to  be  appointed  by  the  State  govern- 
ment, but  the  most  radical  innovation  was  the 
transfer  of  the  Police  Department  from  the  city 
to  the  State.  The  Metropolitan  Police  abolished 
the  Municipal  Police  Force  and  created  a  police 
district  comprising  the  counties  of  New  York, 
Kings,  Westchester  and  Richmond.  A  Board  of 
Commissioners  was  instituted,  to  be  appointed  for 
five  years  by  the  Governor  and  Senate,  to  have 
control  of  the  appointment,  trial,  and  management 
of  the  police  force,  which  was  not  to  exceed  two 
thousand  in  membership,  and  to  appoint  the  chief 
of  police  and  minor  officers.     These  Police  Com- 


States.  Governor  John  A.  King  had  presided  in 
1855  over  the  convention  at  Syracuse,  N.  Y.,  at 
which  the  Republican  Party  was  formed,  had 
previously  served  in  the  State  Assembly  and  Senate, 
as  a  Whig,  had  opposed  the  extension  of  slavery 
and  had  been  a  leader  in  Whig  politics. 

Mayor  Wood,  acting  on  the  advice  of  the  Cor- 
poration Counsel  and  of  Charles  O'Connor,  refused 
to  recognize  the  Metropolitan  Police  Act  or  the 
Board  of  Commissioners  created  under  it,  declar- 
ing that  the  statute  was  unconstitutional.  He  sum- 
moned the  members  of  the  old  municipal  police  and 
cidered  them  to  stand  by  him  in  holding  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Pol'.ce    Department    against   the  new 


Old  Wall  Street,  East  of  Broad,  Grace  Church  and  Trinity  at  Foot. 


missioners  were  to  secure  the  peace  and  protection 
of  the  city,  to  secure  quiet  at  elections,  and  to  look 
after  the  public  health.  The  Board  was  to  con- 
sist of  five  members  appointed  by  Governor  and 
Senate  and  the  Mayors  of  New  York  and  Brook- 
lyn were  to  be  members  ex  officio.  The  first  ap- 
pointed members  were  Simon  Draper,  General 
James  W.  Nye  and  Jacob  Chadwell,  of  New 
York;  James  S.  T.  Stranahan  of  Kings;  and 
James  Bowen  of  Westchester  County. 

The  governor  who  appointed  this  Board  was 
John  Alsop  King,  of  Jamaica,  L.  I.,  eldest  son  of 
Rufus  King  who,  with  General  Schuyler,  was 
elected  in  1  788  to  the  first  Senate  of  the  United 


commission  and  its  appointees.  Daniel  D.  Con- 
over,  who  had  been  appointed  street  commissioner 
by  Governor  King  to  fill  a  vacancy,  went  to  the 
City  Hall  to  claim  his  office  and  was  unceremon- 
iously ejected  by  the  Mayor.  The  Deputy  Com- 
missioner, meanwhile,  claimed  the  right  to  hold  the 
office  and  a  third  competitor,  Charles  Devlin,  had 
been  appointed  by  Mayor  Wood,  who  claimed  the 
appointing  power.  Conover  obtained  a  warrant 
from  the  recorder  to  arrest  the  Mayor  on  the  charge 
of  inciting  a  riot,  and  another  from  Judge  Hoffman 
for  personal  assault.  With  these  documents,  and 
with  fifty  of  the  Metropolitan  police  to  help  him, 
Conover  repaired   to  the  City   Hall.  Captain 


46 


NEIV    YOKK^OLD    AND  .\E14^ 


Walling  of  the  Police,  uitli  one  warrant,  first  at- 
lempted  to  gain  an  entrance  but  failed  and  Mr. 
Conover,  with  the  other,  had  no  better  success. 
1  he  City  Hall  was  filled  with  armed  members 
of  the  Municipal  Police  force  who  attacked  such 
of  the  Conover  following  as  tried  to  enter,  and  in 
the  Park  outside  was  a  crowd  which,  in  evident 
sympathy  with  the  attitude  of  the  Mayor  and  the 
old  police,  assisted  them  in  the  fierce  assault  on  the 
newcomers  which  tjuickly  followed.  Just  at  this 
juncture  the  Seventh  Regiment  entered  upon  the 
scene,  not  purposely  but  as  a  fortunate  coincidence. 
The  Seventh  had  been  invited  to  Boston  to  re- 
ceive an  ovation  there  and  was  on  its  way  to  the 
boat.  As  it  passed  near  the  scene  of  the  disturb- 
ance it  received  a  request  from  Captain  Walling 
to  come  to  the  City  Hall  and  restore  order. 
Promptly  responding,  the  presence  of  this  famous 
regiment  soon  brought  quiet.  General  Sandford, 
accompanying  Mr.  Conover,  was  admitted  to  the 
City  Hall,  and  the  General  advised  Mayor  Wood 
to  accept  service  and  save  further  friction  and  the 
lise  of  force.  The  Mayor  submitted,  further  re- 
sistance being  manifestly  useless.  The  Seventh 
Regiment  resumed  its  journey  to  Boston  but  nine 
other  regiments  were  required  to  lay  under  arms. 
The  main  controversy  was  very  soon  settled  as  the 
ci  se,  being  expedited,  soon  reached  the  Court  of 
Appeals  which  on  July  1  decided  that  the  Metro- 
politan Police  Act  was  constitutional. 

But  the  worst  was  yet  to  come.  1  he  lawless 
elements  of  the  population  were  not  satisfied  with 
the  decision  and  the  members  of  the  Municipal 
Police  who  were  being  legislated  out  of  their  jobs 
were  little  disposed  to  be  harsh  to  those  who  were 
supporting  their  side  of  the  contention.  Upon  re- 
ceipt of  the  news  of  the  decision  of  July  1  the 
Police  Commission  began  to  install  the  Metropol- 
itan Police  in  the  places  of  the  old  municipal  force. 
The  vicious  and  criminal  elements  of  the  city  have 
always  been  in  the  habit  of  forming  themselves  into 
gangs.  Modern  psychology  has  taken  account  of 
the  "gang  spirit"  as  a  natural  development,  and 
modern  sociology  has  found  ways  to  divert  this 
tendency  into  channels  of  usefulness  in  such  or- 
ganizations as  "boy  scouts,"  "junior  police"  and 
oiher  ways  which  take  the  boy  and  help  fashion 
him  into  a  man  with  a  social  conscience.  But  few 
of  these  efforts  had  been  begun  sixty  years  ago, 
and  gangs  of  rowdies  were  much  more  numerous 
and  more  strongly  organized  then  than  now.  The 
demoralization  of  the  old  municipal  police,  and  the 
inchoate  and  unorganized  status  of  the  new  Metro- 
politan Police,  seemed  to  afford  an  opportunity  of 
rival  gangs  to  try  their  prowess  in  street  affrays. 
The  National  Holiday  and  the  evening  before  it 
appealed  to  some  of  the  gangsters  as  a  convenient 
season  for  the  purpose  and  on  the  night  of  July  3 
tfic  disturbance  began  with  a  pitched  battle  in 


Bayard  Street  when  the  "Dead  Rabbits"  gang 
trom  the  Five  Points  district  invaded  the  "Bowery 
Boys"  gang.  They  fought  with  bludgeons,  stones 
and  knives,  they  assaulted  each  other  and  men, 
>vomen  and  children  who  came  in  their  way;  they 
drove  off  the  small  detachments  of  police  sent  to 
quell  them,  wounding  some,  and  they  built  up  bar- 
ricades m  the  streets  as  offensive  screens  and  de- 
fensive bulwarks  and  while  there  was  a  lull  late 
at  night,  trouble  began  again  in  the  morning.  The 
Seventh  Regiment,  still  in  Boston,  was  asked  by 
telegraph  to  come  home  and  the  militia  in  the  city 
was  called  into  action.  When  the  riot  was  finally 
quelled  in  the  afternoon  it  was  found  that  six  men 
had  been  killed  and  more  than  one  hundred 
wounded.  The  next  day  in  the  afternoon  another 
disturbance  occurred  at  Centre  and  Anthony 
Streets  and  was  quelled  by  the  militia.  The  regi- 
ments remamed  under  arms  but  the  trouble  seemed 
to  be  over.  The  Municipal  Police  were  severely 
criticized  for  inefficiency  and  by  some  were  ac- 
cused of  having  encouraged  the  rioters.  The 
work  of  organizing  the  Metropolitan  Police  went 
vigorously  on  but  there  were  signs  of  unrest  which 
called  for  vigilance  and  there  was  another  outbreak 
on  July  1  3  and  1 4.  The  previous  troubles  had 
been  in  districts  principally  Irish  but  this  new  out- 
break was  in  the  Seventeenth  Ward,  a  German 
stronghold.  It  was  finally  put  down  by  the  police 
and  after  that  quiet  reigned  again.  The  disturb- 
ances of  this  series  are  known  in  history  as  the 
"Police  Riot." 

The  period  of  monetary  stringency  which  pre- 
\  ailed  from  the  late  summer  of  1857  to  the  spring 
cf  1858,  following  the  suspension  of  the  Ohio 
Life  &  Trust  Company  with  debts  of  seven  mil- 
lion dollars  on  August  24,  1857,  was  followed  by 
tiiC  suspension  of  banks  in  Philadelphia  and  later 
through  Pennsylvania,  Maryland,  the  District  of 
Columbia  and  Rhode  Island.  Many  failures  fol- 
lowed. A  run  on  the  banks  in  New  York  be- 
came so  severe  that  the  State  Legislature  on 
October  1 4th  passed  a  law  providing  for  sus- 
pension of  specie  payments  for  one  year.  The 
banks,  however,  voluntarily  resumed  specie  pay- 
ments on  December  I  4.  The  cessation  of  indus- 
try followed  the  stoppage  of  credits  and  there  was 
great  distress  among  the  city's  poor,  food  riots, 
soon  suppressed,  public  soup  houses  established  at 
various  points,  public  work  in  Central  Park  and 
elsewhere  as  relief  for  the  unemployed  and  a  slow 
recovery  due  to  the  excessive  caution  which  always 
fellows  such  a  period,  rather  than  to  any  lack  of 
means. 

The  charter  election  in  December,  1857,  re- 
sulted in  the  defeat  of  Fernando  Wood  by  Daniel 
F.  Tiemann,  a  prominent  merchant,  who  was  in- 
stalled as  Mayor  on  January  I,  1858. 

The  agitations  and  disturbances  of  politics  which 


The  Oldest  Merchants'  Exchange  (Later  Custom  House)— Now  City  National  Bank. 


48 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


resulted  in  the  War  occupied  public  discussion 

very  fully  during  the  period  between  the  panic  of 
1857  and  the  election  of  Lincoln  but  these  were 
matters  of  national  rather  than  local  history.  The 
discussions  of  that  time  were,  however,  carried  on 
with  more  vigor  by  the  New  York  newspapers 
than  by  any  others.  The  period  was  one  in  which 
the  press  of  this  city  dominated  public  opinion: 
more  so  than  at  any  other  period.  There  were 
editorial  giants  in  those  days  and  the  utterances 
of  Greeley  of  the  Tribune,  Raymond  of  the  Times, 
Bennett  of  the  Herald,  Bryant  of  the  Evening 
Post  and  Webb  of  the  Courier  and  Enquirer  had 
more  influence  than  any  others.  The  New  York 
newspapers  have  not  deteriorated.  They  are  in 
fact  better  than  ever,  but  other  great  centers  have 
journals  equally  able  and  editorials  equally  influ- 
ential. The  personal  element  has  practically  dis- 
appeared from  journalism  and  the  Greeleys,  Danas, 
Raymonds  and  others  who  sway  public  opinion  in 
these  days  are  for  the  most  part  personally  un- 
known to  the  great  mass  of  their  readers  even  by 
name. 

From  Colonial  days  measures  of  quarantine  have 
been  maintained  in  New  York  Harbor  and  these 
have  been  amplified  to  such  an  extent  that  they 
now  defend  not  only  the  port  of  New  York  but 
the  entire  country  against  the  entrance  of  dangerous 
and  pestilential  diseases.  Bedloe's  Island  was 
long  used  as  the  quarantine  station  and  later  it  was 
placed  on  Governor's  Island.  But  in  1 80 1  the 
people  of  New  York  City,  alarmed  at  the  idea 
of  having  a  colony  of  pest  houses  within  one  thou- 
sand feet  of  its  front  door  at  the  Battery,  pe- 
titioned for  Its  removal  and  it  was  located  at  Tomp- 
kinsville,  Staten  Island.  It  remained  there  for 
sixty  years  but  as  the  population  around  Tompkins- 
ville  increased  there  came  a  desire  for  its  removal 
again.  The  State  Legislature  in  185  7  ordered 
the  selection  of  another  site.  Sandy  Hook  was 
selected  but  that  was  New  Jersey  soil  and  that 
State  would  have  none  of  it  so  it  was  transferred 
to  Sequin's  Point,  at  the  lower  end  of  Staten 
Island,  but  after  some  buildings  had  been  erected 
the  neighboring  residents  attacked  it  by  night  and 
set  fire  to  the  buildings.  The  citizens  of  Tomp- 
kinsville  regarded  that  event  as  a  lesson  in  how 
to  rid  themselves  of  their  own  nuisance  and  in 
July  there  was  an  uprising  there,  since  characterized 
as  the  Quarantine  Riot,  in  which  the  quarantine 
establishment  was  utterly  destroyed  in  a  night  raid. 
Richmond  County  was  compelled  to  pay  the  dam- 
age for  the  destruction  wrought  in  these  two  raids, 
but  secured  action  which  took  the  pest  houses  from 
Staten  Island  soil.  A  commission  was  appointed 
which  moved  the  Quarantine  to  a  floating  hospital 
for  which  the  old  steamship  "Falcon"  was  secured, 
with  an  anchorage  in  the  Narrows.  Afterward, 
from  1866  to  1870,  a  sandbar  known  as  West 
Bank  in  the  Lower  Bay  was  filled  in  and  became 
known  as  Swinburne's  Island,  upon  which  many 


hospital  and  other  buildings  have  been  ere::ted. 
Hoffman  Island,  similarly  built  from  1868  to 
1873,  was  created  and  is  used  for  an  observation 
and  isolation  establishment  for  immigrants  who 
have  been  exposed  to  dangerous  epidemics.  The 
excellence  of  the  plant  and  work  of  the  Quaran- 
tine has  been  examined  and  proclaimed  by  many 
great  sanitarians  from  all  parts  of  the  world  as  the 
best  in  existence. 

In  1858  the  famous  Cooper  Institute  was  built 
by  Peter  Cooper  and  was  completed  and  equipped 
at  a  cost  of  $600,000.  It  has  given  opportun- 
ities for  art  and  technical  instruction  to  many  who 
have  adorned  their  profession  here  and  elsewhere 
and  who  would  have  been  shut  out  from  oppor- 
tunity if  It  had  not  been  for  the  free  lectures  and 
instruction  afforded  by  this  great  foundation.  The 
New  York  School  of  Applied  Design  for  Women 
was  at  first  located  in  Cooper  Institute  until  its 
present  excellent  building  was  completed. 

The  cornerstone  of  the  new  Roman  Catholic 
Cathedral  of  St.  Patrick  was  laid  by  Archbishop 
Hughes  at  Fifth  Avenue  and  Fiftieth  Street  on 
August  15,  1858,  in  the  presence  of  a  great  con- 
course of  people.  It  was  consecrated  May  25, 
1879. 

James  Monroe,  fifth  President  of  the  United 
States,  after  his  second  term  retired  to  private  life, 
dividing  his  time  between  his  Virginia  estate  and 
New  York.  He  died  in  this  city,  July  4,  1831, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Marble  Cemetery  on 
Second  Street,  between  First  and  Second  Avenues. 
In  1 858  the  remains  of  President  Monroe  were 
disinterred  and  removed  to  Richmond,  Virginia,  es- 
corted by  the  Seventh  Regiment,  and  reinterred 
there.  The  regiment  returned  bearing  the  corpse 
of  their  comrade.  Lieutenant  Hamilton,  a  descend- 
ant of  Alexander  Hamilton,  who  had  died  on  the 
way,  and  he  was  buried  in  Trinity  churchyard. 

The  event  of  1855  which  created  the  greatest 
excitement  and  interest  in  New  York  was  the  com- 
pletion of  the  first  Atlantic  telegraph  cable.  Cyrus 
West  Field,  a  New  York  merchant,  was  the 
genius  whose  indomitable  energy  and  patience 
brought  to  fruition  the  marvel  of  overseas  com- 
munication. Son  of  Rev.  David  Dudley  Field,  an 
eminent  Congregationalist  divine,  he  and  three  dis- 
tinguished brothers,  David  Dudley  Field,  noted 
as  a  jurist,  Stephen  Johnson  Field,  Justice  of 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  and  Rev.  Henry 
Martin  Field,  Presbyterian  clergyman,  author  and 
editor  of  The  Evangelist,  were  all  men  of  great 
prominence.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  interesting  Peter 
Cooper,  Marshall  O.  Roberts,  Moses  Taylor,  and 
Chandler  White,  arranged  a  conference  with  these 
gentlemen  at  the  house  of  his  brother,  David  Dud- 
ley Field,  in  Gramercy  Park  and  in  half  an  hour 
these  five  gentlemen  had  on  May  8,  1854,  or- 
ganized a  company  and  subscribed  a  million  and 
a  half  of  dollars  to  its  capital  stock  to  connect 
England  and  America  by  telegraph  cable.  The 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


49 


story  of  the  successes  and  the  disappointments 
connected  with  the  laying  of  the  cable  has 
often  been  told  but  the  first  cable  was  laid  and 
on  August  16,  1858,  messages  of  congratulation 
were  exchanged  between  Queen  Victoria  and 
President  James  Buchanan.  For  several  days 
there  was  great  public  rejoicing.  Messages  were 
exchanged  and  September  I  st  was  set  apart  for 
special  honors  to  Mr.  Field  and  the  officers  of 
the  cable  expedition.  There  was  a  morning 
Thanksgiving  service  at  Trinity  Church  in  which 
two  hundred  clergy  participated.  At  noon  Mr. 
Field  and  the  officers  of  the  ships  of  the  expe- 
dition landed  at  Castle  Garden  and  were  received 
with  a  national  salute.  A  procession  was  formed, 
extending  from  the  Battery  to  the  Crystal  Palace, 
where  the  Mayor  presented  Mr.  Field  the  freedom 
of  the  city  in  a  gold  box  with  the  thanks  of  the 
community.  At  night  the  firemen  paraded  in  a 
torchlight  procession  to  do  honor  to  the  man  whom 
everyone  was  acclaiming  a  popular  hero. 

But  on  that  day  the  cable  was  suddenly  hushed. 
A  great  achievement  seemingly  became  a  joke; 
many  declared  it  to  be  a  hoax;  some  denounced  it 
as  a  fraudulent  stock  speculation,  denying  thai  ony 
message  had  passed  over  it  though  four  hundred 
messages  had  been  transmitted  in  the  interval,  as  the 
mails  proved,  for  events  occurring  in  America  had 
been  printed  in  English  papers  within  forty-eight 
hours  from  their  occurrence.  Mr.  Field  was 
spoken  of  currently  as  a  visionary  or  an  adven- 
turer. But  his  associates  knew  him,  and  he  was 
not  the  man  to  give  up.  The  war  came  on  and 
made  further  progress  for  a  time  impossible.  The 
"Great  Eastern"  in  1865  was  set  to  work  to  lay 
another  cable  but  after  it  had  laid  twelve  hundred 
miles  the  cable  parted.  It  had  to  be  done  all  over 
again  in  1  866  but  this  time  with  success.  Honors 
came  again  and  in  fuller  measure  and  this  New 
York  merchant  had  earned  a  sure  place  in  the  roll 
of  those  who  deserve  fame.  John  Bright  aptly 
characterized  him  as  "the  Columbus  of  modern 
times  who,  by  his  cable,  had  moored  the  New- 
World  alongside  of  the  Old." 

At  the  election  in  December,  1859,  Fernando 
Wood  was  again  elected  Mayor  of  New  York 
for  the  term  beginning  January  1 ,  1 860.  Al- 
though the  country  was  in  a  state  of  political  tur- 
moil the  year  I860  was  notable  in  New  York  as 
one  especially  full  of  visits  of  friendship  and  cere- 
mony by  many  distinguished  foreign  visitors. 
Much  interest  was  evoked  by  the  visit  of  the 
Japanese  Embassy  which  reached  New  York  on 
June  1 6.  The  policy  of  isolation  which  had 
characterized  the  Japanese  nation  had  only  been 
relaxed  for  a  few  years,  and  this  official  visit  to 
the  United  States  was  the  first  essay  of  that  country 
toward  the  establishment  of  close  commercial  and 
diplomatic  relations.  They  were  made  the  guests 
of  the  city  during  their  stay,  were  shown  every 
courtesy,  the  city  was  illuminated  in  their  honor 


and  lavish  hospitality  greeted  them  everywhere. 
The  Prince  of  Wales  (afterward  to  become 
Edward  VII,  of  England)  who  came  here  travel- 
ing under  the  title  of  Baron  Renfrew,  was  greeted 
by  parades,  receptions  and  other  festivities.  Al- 
though there  had  been  forty-five  years  of  unin- 
terrupted peace  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  there  still  remained  a  considerable 
amount  of  prejudice  against  England,  which  had 
largely  been  made  permanent  by  the  war  of 
1812-1815.  But  Queen  Victoria's  reign  had  im- 
pressed the  American  people  favorably  and  she 
had  won  general  esteem  among  them.  The  mod- 
est demeanor  of  the  Prince,  then  a  young  man, 
made  his  visit  a  long  remembered  occasion. 


Horace  Greeley 


The  fate  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  the  Arctic  ex- 
plorer who  left  England  in  May,  1845,  and  was 
lost  in  the  Arctic,  had  enlisted  the  interest  of 
Americans  and  particularly  some  of  our  leading 
merchants  and  citizens.  Lady  Franklin  had  sent 
out  expeditions  to  rescue  him  and  the  crews  of  his 
two  vessels  the  Terror  and  the  Erebus  but  they 
returned  without  finding  any  trace  of  the  Franklin 
party.  Henry  Grinnell,  a  New  York  merchant 
and  ship  owner,  offered  to  equip  two  of  his  vessels 
and  turn  them  over  to  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment to  serve  as  a  rescue  expedition.  The  offer 
was  accepted  and  the  two  vessels,  the  Advance  and 
the  Rescue,  were  placed  under  command  of  Lieu- 
tenant Edwin  J.  DeHaven,  U.  S.  N.,  and  manned 
through  the  Navy  Department.       The  expedition 


30 


NEW    YORK-  OLD    AND  NEW 


left  New  York.  May  22.  I83U,  and  returned 
September  30,  1851.  Though  it  failed  to  find 
any  trace  of  the  Franklin  party  it  discovered  new 
territory  which  it  named  Grmncll  Land  and  made 
other  important  contributions  to  our  knowledge  of 
the  Polar  Regions.  A  second  expedition  financed 
and  equipped  by  Henry  Grinnell  and  George  Pea- 
body  went  north  in  1853  in  charge  of  Dr.  Elisha 
Kent  Kane,  in  the  Advance.  This  expedition  also 
failed  to  find  the  Franklin  party  or  any  trace  ol 
It  but  made  still  further  discoveries,  determined  the 
existence  of  the  circumpolar  sea  and  mapped  much 
of  its  coast  line.  These  researches  deepened  the 
interest  of  the  people  in  geographical  knowledge 
and  led  to  the  organization  of  the  American  Geo- 
graphical Society,  which  has  since  been  a  great 
encourager  of  research,  polar  and  other.  Lady 
Franklin,  widow  of  Sir  John  Franklin,  was  much 
interested  in  these  American  efforts  to  discover  the 
lost  party  and  in  1 860  came  to  New  York  to 
thank  the  citizens  and  officers  who  had  spent  such 
costly  efforts  in  the  endeavor  to  find  the  lost  heroes 
of  the  Erebus  and  the  Terror.  The  Prince  dt 
Joinville  was  also  a  distinguished  visitor  to  New- 
York  that  year.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Louis 
Philippe,  King  of  the  French,  but  had  lived  in 
England  after  the  Revolution  of  1 846  had  sent 
all  the  Orleanist  princes  into  exile.  He  remained 
in  the  United  States  until  1 862  and  for  a  time 
with  his  son,  the  Due  de  Penthicve,  and  his  neph- 
ews the  Comte  de  Paris  and  the  Due  de  Chartres, 
served  on  the  staff  of  General  McClellan  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac.  He  was  a  capable  mili- 
tary and  naval  officer  and  a  writer  of  ability  on 
naval  and  army  topics  and  on  our  Civil  War. 

These  distinguished  foreign  visitors,  received 
with  open  arms  and  feted  with  prodigal  hospitality, 
came  to  New  York  in  a  year  that  was  full  of 
anxiety  to  those  who  were  really  in  touch  with  the 
situation  as  it  was  developing.  The  matter  of 
slavery  was  only  one  phase  of  the  question  which 
from  the  first  organization  of  the  Union  had 
divided  the  country  into  two  schools  of  thought 
concerning  the  authority  of  the  individual  States. 
The  question  of  the  right  of  secession  had  been 
often  discussed.  Josiah  Quincy  had  declared  the 
right  of  States  to  secede  "amicably  if  they  might, 
forcibly  if  they  must,"  as  a  protest  against  the 
admission  of  Louisiana  to  statehood  in  1811.  So 
that  in  1860  even  in  the  New  York  newspapers 
the  question  was  still  being  discussed  as  if  it  were 
an  academic  one.  The  pro  and  con  of  John 
Brown's  raid  into  Virginia,  of  the  "bleeding  Kan- 
sas" controversy  and  cognate  themes  were  hotly 
discussed  in  the  papers  and  on  the  platform  but 
the  concensus  of  opinion  in  New  York  was  that 
it  would  be  worked  out  in  Congress  and  there 
would  be  no  war.  Even  after  the  election  of 
Lincoln  many  of  those  who  had  been  sympathetic 
with  the  Southern  contention  in  Congress  held  a 
meeting  in  Pine  Street  and  adopted  resolutions  ex- 


pressing sympathy  with  the  political  attitude  of  the 
southern  leaders  but  implored  them  to  keep  in 
the  Union  and  fight  their  battles  in  the  political 
arena.  There  were  others  who,  contemplating  the 
disruption  of  the  Union  as  quite  within  the  range 
of  possibility,  argued  that  in  that  case  New  York 
should  become  a  free  city,  entirely  independent. 
Mayor  Wood,  in  his  annual  message  to  the  Com- 
mon Council,  January  7,  1861,  advocated  that 
course. 

The  news  of  the  attack  on  Fort  Sumter  brought 
the  debaters  up  standing.  Many  of  the  prom- 
inent men  who  had  been  active  in  the  Pine  Street 
meeting  in  January  were  vice-presidents  of  the 
"Union  mass-meeting,"  one  hundred  thousand 
strong,  which  assembled  at  Union  Square  on  April 
20.  John  A.  Dix,  who  had  been  active  in  the 
Pine  Street  meeting,  presided  in  Union  Square. 
Fernando  Wood,  the  Mayor,  on  April  1 5  had 
issued  his  proclamation  calling  upon  all,  "whatever 
their  individual  positions  or  opinions  may  have  been 
on  questions  of  public  policy,"  to  "ignore  the  past, 
rising  superior  to  partisan  considerations,  and  rally 
to  the  restoration  of  the  Constitution  and  the  Union 
as  they  existed  in  the  days  and  in  the  spirit  of  our 
fathers." 

Now  the  papers  became  full  of  martial  news  of 
marching  hosts,  the  "gallant  Seventh,"  the  "steady 
Twelfth."  the  "gay  Seventy-first,"  the  "rollicking 
Sixty-ninth,"  then  "boys  in  blue,"  units  which  we 
have  recently  seen  in  similar  array  in  olive-drab. 

Major-General  Sandford,  commanding  the  First 
Division,  N.  G.  S.  N.  Y.,  received  on  April  1  7. 
orders  "to  detail  one  regiment  of  eight  hundred 
men,  or  two  regiments  amounting  to  the  same 
number,  for  immediate  service."  He  detailed  the 
Seventh  Regiment  (Col.  Lefferts)  for  duty  and  on 
Friday.  April  I  9,  at  3  P.  M.  the  regiment  started 
down  Broadway  en  route  for  Washington.  Such 
an  ovation  as  cheered  the  Seventh  on  its  way  had 
never  before  been  seen  on  this  continent.  The 
street  was  crowded  on  both  sides  with  a  cheering 
mass.  Every  window  was  filled  with  specta- 
tors, every  jutting  parapet  had  its  occupant.  The 
Seventh  was  the  vanguard  of  a  stream  that  kept 
up  for  months.  It  went  to  Washington  via  An- 
napolis and  at  the  National  capital  joined  the 
Massachusetts  regiment  which  had  arrived  the  day 
before.  These  two  regiments  had  been  rushed  to 
the  front  to  defend  Washington  against  an  ex- 
pected attack.  The  Sixth,  Twelfth  and  Seventy- 
first  regiments  of  the  militia  embarked  for  Fortress 
Monroe  on  April  20  and.  the  Eighth,  Thirteenth. 
Twenty-eighth  and  Sixty-ninth  left  for  Washington 
on  the  23d.  All  received  ovations  as  they  started 
for  the  front.  Then  followed  regiment  after  regi- 
ment of  volunteers  as  the  fierce  demands  of  war 
called  for  ever  increasing  forces. 

It  is  not  intended  to  write  here  a  detailed  his- 
tory of  the  part  of  New  York  in  the  War  for  the 
Union  but  it  may  be  briefly  said  that  in  whole- 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


51 


hearted  work  for  the  Union  cause  the  metropolis 
rose  gloriously  to  its  duties  and  opportunities.  The 
Union  Defense  Committee  was  an  organization  of 
citizens  that  did  great  things  in  encouraging  en- 
listments and  stimulating  efforts  in  behalf  of  the 
forces  in  the  field.  The  women  of  New  York 
worked  constantly  and  strenuously  along  such  lines 
as  they  could  best  follow  for  the  good  of  the  men 
at  the  front.  The  United  States  Sanitary  Com- 
mission was  organized  under  the  advice  of  Rev. 
Dr.  Bellows  by  a  committee  representing  the 
Woman's  Central  Association  for  the  Relief  of 
the  Sick  and  Wounded  of  the  Army,  the  advisory 
committee  of  the  Boards  of  Physicians  and  Sur- 
geons of  the  Hospitals  of  New  York  and  the  New 
York  Medical  Association  for  Furnishing  Hospital 
Supplies  in  Aid  of  the  Army.  The  Sanitary  Com- 
mission did  great  and  noble  work  along  lines  now 
fortunately  more  thoroughly  organized,  undertak- 
en by  the  Red  Cross. 

The  story  of  the  Draft  Riots  comes  as  the  dark 
side  of  the  story  of  New  York  in  the  War.  The 
Enrollment  Act  of  March  31,  1863,  was  very 
unpopular  in  certain  sections  of  the  city.  A  pro- 
vision in  it  that  any  drafted  man  could  procure 
■exemption  by  paying  $300  was  regarded  as  favor- 
ing the  rich  at  the  expense  of  the  poor.  Mur- 
murings  were  common  and  disapproval  openly  ex- 
pressed. July  I  1  was  the  day  fixed  for  the  draft 
to  begin  in  the  city. 

The  militia  had  left  the  city  late  in  June,  when 
Pennsylvania  was  threatened  by  Lee's  Army,  to 
strengthen  the  force  needed  to  repel  invasion.  July 
1  1  was  a  Saturday  and  the  draft  began  promptly. 
No  disturbance  of  importance  occurred  at  any  of 
the  enrollment  places.  The  officials  felt  encour- 
aged that  the  disturbances  which  had  been  threat- 
ened would  not  take  place.  With  the  militia  away 
the  police  had  no  backing  in  case  of  a  riot  except 
a  few  regulars  in  the  garrison  and  the  disabled 
men  of  the  Invalid  Corps. 

Sunday,  July  12,  proved  to  be  a  day  of  con- 
spiracy. Some  working  men  who  had  been 
drafted,  backed  up  by  political  agitators,  planned 
forcible  opposition  to  further  enrollment  under  a 
system  which,  they  claimed,  put  all  the  burden  on 
the  poor. 

When  the  Third  Avenue  enrollment  office 
opened,  Monday,  July  13,  a  crowd  rushed  into 
the  room  and  after  a  score  or  more  names  were 
drawn  a  big  paving-stone  came  crashing  through 
the  window.  This  was  the  signal  for  a  general 
assault.  The  enrollment  officials  beat  a  hasty 
retreat;  except  Marshal  Vanderpoel,  who  was  bru- 
tally assaulted  and  carried  out  for  dead.  The 
mob  destroyed  the  records,  drafting  apparatus  and 
furniture  of  the  office  and  then  set  fire  to  the 
building.  The  firemen  who  promptly  came  to  the 
scene  were  driven  off  and  the  entire  block  was 
burned. 

Many  thousands  were  in  the  mob.  Agitators 


visited  factories  and  threatened  their  destruction 
unless  they  were  closed  to  give  the  workmen  an 
opportunity  to  join  the  rioters.  From  Cooper  In- 
stitute to  Forty-sixth  Street  the  crowd  filled  Third 
Avenue  and  overflowed  into  many  side  streets. 
Superintendent  Kennedy,  of  the  Police  who  went 
out  in  plain  clothes  to  size  up  the  situation,  was 
recognized  and  assaulted,  receiving  injuries  thai 
laid  him  up  for  several  days.  President  Acton  of 
the  Police  Board  stayed  at  the  office  in  Mulberry 
Street  and  directed  the  movements  of  the  police  by 
telegraph. 

The  crowd  was  especially  incensed  against  ne- 
groes and  any  unfortunate  member  of  that  race 
who  appeared  was  at  once  assaulted  and  several 
were  hanged  from  lampposts.  The  Colored  Or- 
phan Asylum  on  Fifth  Avenue  from  Forty-third 
to  Forty-fourth  Street  was  attacked.  Fortunately 
the  children  were  hurried  out  at  the  rear  door  and 
were  safely  spirited  away  when  the  mob  broke 
in  at  the  front  door,  set  the  place  on  fire  and 
soon  had  it  consumed  by  the  flames. 

The  police  were  powerless  to  do  anything  with 
the  main  mob  on  Third  Avenue  but  dispersed 
smaller  detachments  at  various  points.  Stores  on 
Third  Avenue  were  looted  and  two  private  resi- 
dences on  Lexington  Avenue  after  being  despoiled 
were  burned  to  the  ground.  A  mob  of  about 
five  thousand  made  a  mass  attack  on  the  Central 
Office  of  the  Police,  in  Mulberry  Street,  but  Ser- 
geant (afterward  Inspector)  Daniel  Carpenter 
handled  his  force  of  two  hundred  policemen  so 
cleverly  that  they  attacked  the  invading  column  at 
many  points  and  drove  them  away.  Forty  of  the 
Invalid  Corps,  sent  to  aid  in  restoring  order,  were 
attacked  in  Forty-third  Street.  At  the  order  of 
their  commanding  officer.  Lieutenant  Reed,  they 
fired  blank  cartridges  at  the  mob.  This  so  in- 
furiated the  rioters  that  they  made  a  mass  attack 
on  the  soldiers,  wrenched  their  guns  from  their 
hands  and  beat  them  severely.  Several  were 
killed  and  the  others  were  badly  injured.  Many 
houses  were  looted  and  several  burned.  1  roops 
were  gathered,  about  seven  hundred  militiamen 
temporarily  absent  from  their  commands  were  or- 
ganized into  a  force  and  were  sent  from  place 
to  place  dispersing  crowds.  Troops  fired  into  a 
mob  that  showed  resistance  at  Grand  and  Pitt 
Streets,  killing  twelve.  Colonel  O'Brien,  of  the 
Eleventh  New  York  Volunteers,  was  in  New- 
York,  detached  temporarily  from  his  regiment  for 
recruiting  duty,  and  had  with  him  a  detachment 
of  soldiers  and  two  field  pieces.  Asked  by  Ser- 
geant Carpenter  to  help  disperse  a  mob  assembled 
to  burn  houses  in  Thirty-fourth  Street,  he  dis- 
persed them.  But  they  soon  returned  in  large 
numbers  and  assaulted  the  soldiers  with  sticks  and 
stones.  He  ordered  a  volley  to  be  fired  at  the 
mob  and  several  were  killed,  including  a  woman 
and  two  children.  Later  the  mob  looted  O'Brien's 
own  house,  and  when  he  went  there  the  mob  set 


52 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


upon  liim  and  beat  lum  to  death.  Other  outrages 
occurred  on  Wednesday  but  the  Seventh  Regiment, 
which  had  been  recalled  from  Pennsylvania,  ar- 
rived and  took  active  part  in  quelling  the  riots. 
For  a  few  days  sporadic  outbreaks  occurred  but 
the  presence  of  troops  fully  in  earnest  soon  re- 
stored quiet.  The  draft  was  resumed  and  com- 
pleted. 

During  the  not  over  one  thousand  people  were 
killed,  chiefly  rioters  and  their  negro  victims. 
Exact  figures  could  not  be  given  as  the  rioters 
moved  and  disposed  of  many  of  their  own  dead. 
The  city  afterward  paid  approximately  $1,500,- 
000  as  indemnity  for  losses  sustained  through  the 
noting.  The  Seventh  and  other  regiments  did 
guard  duty  during  the  drafting  in  July  and  again 
in  August  when  the  conscription  was  taken  up 
again  and  finished. 

While  the  riot  was  inexcusable  and  the  murder 
and  assaults  upon  the  negroes  a  disgrace  there  was 
a  feeling  that  the  pro\'ision  of  exemption  for  those 
who  paid  three  hundred  dollars,  or  any  sum  of 
money,  was  a  wanton  departure  from  American 
principles  of  equality  before  the  law.  In  recog- 
nition of  that  fact  the  City  Council  passed  an  ap- 
propriation of  $2,500,000  toward  paying  substi- 
tutes for  drafted  poor  persons  who  had  dependent 
families. 

The  Union  League  Club,  formed  in  1863,  took 
a  very  active  part  in  sustaining  the  Union  cause, 
among  other  things  raising  three  negro  regiments 
for  the  war  in  December,  1863,  and  January, 
1 864.  The  United  States  Sanitary  Commission 
in  the  spring  of  1  864  conducted  a  series  of  fairs 
in  all  the  large  cities  to  raise  funds  for  the  work 
it  was  doing.  There  was  one  in  Brooklyn  in 
February  which  raised  $500,000;  but  the  great- 
est was  the  Metropolitan  Fair  held  in  April  for 
which  two  specially  erected  buildings,  one  in 
Fourteenth  Street  near  Sixth  Avenue  and  the  other 
in  Seventeenth  Street  near  Union  Square,  were 
utilized.     This  fair  reaHzed  $1,100,000. 

In  the  December  election  in  1861,  George 
Opdyke,  a  prominent  m.erchant,  had  been  elected 
Mayor.  He  was  very  active  during  his  entire 
term  in  all  ways  possible  to  give  municipal  aid 
to  the  Union  cause.     During  the  Draft  Riot  the 


mob  made  a  demonstration  in  front  of  his  house 
but  was  driven  off.  In  the  December  election  ot 
1863  C.  Godfrey  Gunther,  a  fur  merchant,  was 
elected  Mayor  on  the  Democratic  ticket. 

I  he  Union  successes  which  came  in  1 865 
cheered  New  York  with  the  feeling  that  the  end 
of  the  war  was  near  and  when  the  fall  of  Rich- 
mond and  the  surrender  of  General  Lee  at  Ap- 
pomattox on  April  9  confirmed  this  forecast  the 
joy  of  the  people  was  unbounded.  1  he  expres- 
sions of  this  rejoicing  continued  until  six  days 
later  when  they  were  turned  into  profound  sorrow 
when  the  news  came  of  the  assassination  of  the 
great  Abraham  Lincoln. 

When  the  remains  of  the  martyred  President 
were  carried  from  Washington  to  their  place  of 
interment  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  they  took  prac- 
tically the  same  route  reversed,  which  the  Presi- 
dent himsell  had  traversed  over  four  years  before 
when  on  the  way  to  his  inauguration  he  had  passed 
through  New  York  and  had  addressed  the  people 
in  Cooper  Union.  On  April  24-25,  1865,  the 
body  lay  in  state  in  City  Hall  for  twenty-four 
hours  during  which,  day  and  night,  a  ceaseless 
stream  filed  by  to  take  a  parting  look  at  the  dead 
face  of  the  Great  Emancipator.  The  procession 
that  followed  the  funeral  cortege  from  the  City 
Hall  to  the  railroad  station  on  the  25th  was  five 
miles  long.  In  the  afternoon  a  great  assembly 
met  in  Union  Square  and  listened  to  the  speeches 
of  eulogy  by  George  Bancroft,  historian  and  dip- 
lomat, and  by  the  gifted  poet,  William  Cullen 
Bryant,  editor  of  the  Evening  Post. 

The  close  of  the  war  found  vacant  chairs  in 
many  homes.  From  the  beginning  of  the  conflict 
until  October  1 ,  1 864,  when  the  last  contingent 
left  the  city  for  active  service,  the  city  had  fur- 
nished 126,310  men  to  the  Union  Army.  The 
casualties  of  war  had  killed  and  crippled  many 
and  disease  and  exposure,  with  which  the  sanitar- 
ians were  then  not  nearly  so  able  to  cope  as  at 
the  present  day,  carried  off  many  more. 

But  New  York  turned  from  its  sorrows  to  man- 
fully face  the  future  which  held  so  much  in  store 
for  it,  and  to  make  municipal  and  civic  improve- 
ments and  gains  which  the  urgency  of  the  war 
problems  had  much  retarded. 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

A  Quarter  Century  of  Expansion 


Social  and  Commercial  Adx  ance  With  Doubled  Population — The  Tweed  Ring 
AND  Its  Work — Better  Days  Follow. 


THE  war  period  did  not  bring  much  of  physical 
growth  to  New  York.  The  population  of  the 
city  by  Federal  census  had  been  814,254  in 
1 860 ;  and  by  the  State  census  of  1 865  was 
726,386.  This  decrease  in  actual  residents  was 
not  because  the  city  was  in  any  way  decadent 
but  because  there  had  been  practically  no  building 
done  in  the  years  of  the  war.  The  annual  con- 
struction of  dwellings  during  the  years  of  war  had 
amounted  to  about  ten  per  cent,  of  that  which  had 
prevailed  during  the  previous  decade.  Building 
materials  were  scarce  and  dear;  the  cost  of  labor 
was  so  high  as  to  be  prohibitive;  there  was  very 
little  demand  for  vacant  lots  because  the  cost  of 
improving  them  was  so  heavy  and  rents  within  the 
city,  especially  of  houses  convenient  to  the  few 
horse-car  lines,  had  been  going  up  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  But  in  comparison  Brooklyn.  Wil- 
liamsburg (which  had  become  the  East  Dis- 
trict of  Brooklyn  in  1855),  and  other  Long  Is- 
land places  accessible  by  ferry  were  much  more 
reasonable;  and  the  same  was  true  of  Jersey  City, 
Hoboken,  Weehawken  and  other  nearby  New 
Jersey  suburbs  of  New  York.  Except  one  or  two 
roads  through  to  the  Harlem  River  and  connecting 
with  routes  into  Westchester  County  there  was  very 
little  public  improvement  north  of  Forty-second 
Street,  the  streets  being  unpaved  and  ungraded 
and  much  of  the  ground  covered  by  the  primitive 
rocks,  upon  some  of  which  squatters  had  settled 
in  rough  shanties.  There  were  25,261  vacant  lots 
in  New  York  south  of  Eighty-sixth  Street  in  1865. 
Yorkville  was  still  a  sequestered  village  occupying 
the  territory  from  Eighty-third  to  Eighty-ninth 
Streets  and  from  Fourth  to  Second  Avenue. 
Bloomingdale  was  another  village  in  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Cathedral  Heights  region  of  the 
West  Side  and  gave  the  name  of  Bloomingdale 
Road  to  that  meandering  part  of  the  present 
Broadway  which  extends  from  Fifty-ninth  Street 
north  to  the  city  limits.     Harlem  had  grown  but 


little  out  of  its  pre-war  condition  of  a  quiet  country 
town  which  with  surrounding  truck  gardens  cov- 
ered the  ground  bounded  by  the  East  and  Harlem 
Rivers,  Eighth  Avenue  and  One  Hundred  and 
Sixth  Street. 

The  horse  railroads  included  the  Sixth  Avenue 
Railroad  from  the  Astor  House  at  Vesey  Street 
and  Broadway  to  Central  Park;  the  Eighth  Av- 
enue Railroad  from  the  Astor  House  to  One  Hun- 
dred and  Twenty-fifth  Street;  Third  Avenue  Rail- 
road from  Astor  House  to  Harlem  Bridge;  Second 
Avenue  Railroad  from  Peck  Slip  to  Harlem; 
Ninth  Avenue  Railroad  from  Fifty-first  Street  to 
Astor  House;  Central  Park,  North  and  East  R.iver 
Railroad  from  Central  Park  to  South  Ferry ;  Dry 
Dock,  East  Broadway  &  Battery  Railroad  from 
Fourteenth  Street  and  Avenue  B  to  Astor  House; 
Bleecker  and  Fulton  Ferry  Railroad  from  Four- 
teenth Street  and  Tenth  Avenue  to  Fulton  Ferry ; 
Broadway  and  Seventh  Avenue  Railroad  from 
Fifty-first  Street  and  Seventh  Avenue  to  Barclay 
Street  at  Broadway;  and  the  Forty-second  Street 
and  Grand  Street  Ferry  Railroad  between  the 
Forty-first  Street  Ferry  at  Eleventh  Avenue  and 
the  Grand  Street  Ferry  at  East  River.  The  total 
rolling-stock  of  all  these  railroads  numbered  six 
hundred  and  fifty  horse-cars  or  an  average  of  one 
small  horse-car  to  each  1,230  of  the  population. 

The  congestion  of  city  streets  had  become  a 
problem  in  1867,  and  to  relieve  it  Alderman 
Charles  E.  Loew  offered  an  ordinance,  which 
was  passed,  to  build  a  bridge  with  stairs  on  each 
end  across  Broadway  at  Fulton  Street.  The 
bridge  was  built,  but  people  preferred  dodging  car- 
riages and  carts  to  climbing  so  many  stairs  and 
the  bridge  was  torn  down. 

This  sparsity  of  houses,  of  transportation  and  of 
other  conveniences  hampered  a  city  which  at  this 
period  was  prospering  greatly  in  commercial  and 
financial  activities.  The  situation  was  well  sum- 
marized in  an  address  delivered  in  1 866  before 


54 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


ihe  New  ^  ork  1  listorical  Society  by  Dr.  Samuel 
Osgood,  who  said:  "The  city  is  distressed  by  pros- 
perity and  is  Hke  an  overgrown  boy  whose  clothes 
are  too  small  for  his  limbs  and  who  waits  in  half- 
nakedness  for  his  fitting  garments.  .  .  .  The  scarc- 
ity of  houses  and  the  costs  of  rent,  living  and  tax- 
ation are  grievous  and  driving  a  large  portion  of 
our  middling  class  into  the  country." 

With  the  return  of  peace  came  a  marked  realign- 
ment of  activities,  a  boom  in  building  and  a  fever 
of  speculation.  Some  fortunes  which  had  been 
made  in  government  contracts  were  now  turning 
to  lines  of  investment  which  seemed  to  promise 
quick  returns.  With  the  great  activity  in  building 
which  followed  fast  on  the  end  of  the  war  came 
a  demand  for  public  improvements  and  transporta- 
tion facilities.  The  grading  of  new  streets,  paving 
and  water  supply  work  was  actively  taken  up  by 
the  city,  not  always  or  even  often  (unfortunately) 
with  an  eye  single  to  the  public  good.  The  dec- 
ade which  followed  the  Civil  War  was  also  the 
one  revealed  in  history  as  most  prolific  of  scandals 
arising  from  politician-contractor  combinations.  The 
grading  of  Madison  Avenue  was  in  progress  in 
1865  and  soon  other  public  works  were  launched, 
the  Boulevard  (now  Broadway)  being  laid  out 
along  Bloomingdale  Road  from  the  intersection  of 
Eighth  Avenue  and  Fifty-ninth  Street  to  Tubby 
Hook.  St.  Nicholas  Avenue  was  laid  out  and 
graded.  Broadway  from  Thirty-fourth  Street  to 
Fifty-ninth  Street  was  broadened  and  Seventh 
Avenue  was  also  made  wider  while  many  of  the 
numbered  streets  were  graded  and  paved.  This 
kind  of  work  was  done  in  increasing  volume  every 
year  until  1869  and  after  that  in  decreasing  quan- 
tity until  arrested  by  the  panic  of  1873. 

Rapid  transit  began  to  be  talked  about  but 
along  the  lines  of  surface  movement  there  was 
little  chance  to  increase  speed.  Cable  railways 
were  more  than  a  decade  away  and  electric  trac- 
tion still  more  distant.  More  streets  could  be  and 
were  gradually  brought  into  use  for  horse  railways, 
It  was  an  apparent  fact  that  more  houses,  more 
streets,  more  light,  and  more  of  all  the  conven- 
iences which  were  then  thought  to  be  desirable 
and  are  now  considered  indispensable  to  a  modern 
city  were  badly  needed  at  that  time.  Unfortu- 
nately there  was  at  that  period  in  office  the  most 
rapacious  and  unscrupulous  ring  of  municipal 
grafters  that  has  ever  disgraced  New  York. 
Streets  were  paved  at  enormous  expense  that  had 
to  be  renewed  shortly  after.  Many  had  reached 
a  state  of  unsightly  dilapidation  and  burdened  the 
neighboring  property-owners  because  of  corrupt  un- 
derstandings between  venal  officials  and  corrupt 
contractors. 

While  these  evils  existed  there  ran  parallel  with 
them  an  active  demand  for  public  improvement'^ 
which  had  its  fruition  in  several  of  the  most  val- 
uable enterprises  for  the  material  welfare  of  the 
city.     One  of  the  greatest  of  these  was  the  East 


River  Suspension  Bridge,  first  provided  for  by 
an  act  incorporating  the  New  York  Bridge  Com- 
pany. There  were  many  problems  to  be  met  of 
a  mechanical  character  and  many  political  snags 
encountered  in  bringing  the  bridge  project  to  com- 
pletion. John  A.  Roebling,  the  original  projector 
and  designer  of  the  bridge,  died  suddenly  in 
1 869  but  he  had  drawn  the  original  plans  and 
specifications  and  his  son,  Washington  A.  Roebling, 
assistant  engineer,  carried  the  work  of  building  the 
bridge  to  completion  and  it  was  duly  dedicated  in 
May,  1 884,  with  memorable  ceremonies.  This 
linking  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn  by  vastly  im- 
proved transportation  facilities  was  the  first  of  the 
bolder  steps  toward  the  organic  union  that  was  to 
follow. 

A  matter  of  more  interest  to  the  majority  of 
Manhattan  dwellers  was  that  of  elevated  railways. 
The  first,  the  Greenwich  Street  Elevated  Road, 
was  begun  in  I  866  and  was  put  in  operation  July 
2,  1867.  It  was  a  one-track  railroad  from  Bat- 
tery Place  through  Greenwich  Street  and  Ninth 
Avenue  to  Thirtieth  Street.  It  was  first  operated 
by  a  cable,  which  was  constantly  out  of  order;  and 
when  a  steam  locomotive  was  substituted  its  serv- 
ice was  still  very  unsatisfactory.  It  was  sold  by 
the  sheriff  in  1871  and  the  new  purchasers  who 
tried  to  secure  authority  to  extend  the  road  north- 
ward found  their  efforts  holly  opposed  by  abutting 
property  owners  and  the  horse  railroads.  Other 
roads  were  projected  and  all,  present  and  pros- 
pective, were  hampered  at  every  turn  by  obstruc- 
tive litigation,  but  in  1875  a  bill  known  as  the 
Husted  Act  was  passed  appointing  a  Rapid  Tran- 
sit Commission,  which  made  arrangements  for  the 
building  of  elevated  railways  on  Ninth,  Sixth, 
Third  and  Second  Avenues,  which  were  built. 
There  were  at  first  two  companies  but  in  1879 
they  were  consolidated  under  the  name  of  the 
Manhattan  Railway  Company  and  by  1 880  all 
of  the  lines  had  been  completed  to  Harlem. 

Another  rapid  transit  development  of  impor- 
tance was  that  consolidating  the  terminals  of  the  va- 
rious steam  railroads  entering  the  city.  The  Hud- 
son River  Railroad  had  possessed  a  terminal  at 
Thirtieth  Street  and  Ninth  Avenue  while  the  Har- 
lem Railroad  and  the  New  York  &  New  Haven 
Road  had  a  station  occupying  the  square  bounded 
by  Madison  and  Fourth  Avenues  and  Twenty- 
sixth  and  Twenty-seventh  Streets.  These  terminals 
had  been  approached  at  street  grade  with  low 
speed  and  numerous  accidents.  In  1871  the  three 
roads  were  brought  into  the  Grand  Central  Ter- 
minal in  Forty-second  Street  and  four  years  more 
saw  the  street  and  railway  grades  completely  sep- 
arated, the  trains  running  through  open  cuts  or  tun- 
nels, or  rising  to  viaducts  above  the  street  levels. 

One  of  the  important  changes  which  followed 
close  upon  the  end  of  the  Civil  War  was  that 
which  substituted  a  paid  for  a  volunteer  fire  depart- 
ment.    In  the  early  days  of  the  city  every  young 


56 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


man  was  proud  to  be  admilted  to  one  of  the 
fire  companies.  They  were  social  organizations  in 
which  the  members  made  strong  friendships  and 
friendly  rivalry  existed  among  the  se\eral  compa- 
nies to  see  which  would  reach  a  fire  first  and  be  of 
the  most  efficient  service  when  there.  But  as  the 
city  grew  those  of  the  better  class  found  the  calls 
too  numerous  to  attend  to  without  neglect  of 
business.  The  membership  of  the  companies  came 
to  be  filled  with  idle  and  dissolute  people  and  each 
company  became  to  a  large  degree  the  working 
center  of  some  ward  politician.  So  far  as  fire- 
fighting  was  concerned  the  volunteer  fire  companies 
balked  at  progress  and  would  not  agree  to  the  in- 
troduction of  horses.  They  had  always  "run  with 
the  machine"  and  they  continued  to  drag  them  by 
man-power  to  every  fire  though  horses  did  the 
work  in  all  other  important  cities.  The  passage 
by  the  State  Legislature  on  March  30.  1865,  of 
the  bill  providing  for  a  board  of  four  fire  ccrm- 
missioners,  to  have  control  of  the  new  Fire  De- 
partment of  the  City  of  New  York,  met  strenuous 
opposition  and  the  law  was  attacked  as  unconsti- 
tutional. The  Court  of  Appeals  quickly  decided 
the  case,  however,  affirming  the  validity  of  the 
law  under  which  an  efficient  paid  force  was  soon 
organized.  The  first  big  fire  to  command  the  at- 
tention of  the  department  was  that  which  destroyed 
Barnum's  Museum  at  the  southeast  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Ann  Street.  The  site  was  pur- 
chased by  James  Gordon  Bennett  for  his  New 
York  Herald  and  the  building  there  erected  was 
the  home  of  the  paper  until  the  building  of  its  new 
and  unique  plant  in  1892. 

In  November,  1865,  the  steamship  Atlanta, 
from  Europe  with  immigrants,  came  into  New 
York  with  several  cases  of  Asiatic  cholera  on 
board.  Since  the  destruction  of  the  quarantine 
buildings  on  Staten  Island  there  had  been  no  pro- 
vision for  the  care  of  such  cases.  The  patients 
were  therefore  taken  down  the  bay  and  placed  on 
a  floating  hulk  which  had  been  utilized  in  the 
previous  summer  for  a  segregation  of  yellow  fever 
patients.  There  were  in  spite  of  this  precaution 
several  deaths  from  the  disease  a  few  weeks  later 
an  Ward's  Island,  but  with  cold  weather  the  fur- 
ther progress  of  the  disease  was  halted. 

There  was  general  expectation  that  the  disease 
would  return  with  warm  weather  and  the  Legisla- 
ure,  to  further  efficiency  in  fighting  epidemics,  on 
February  26,  1  866,  passed  a  bill  providing  for  a 
Metropolitan  Board  of  Health,  in  charge  of  four 
health  commissioners,  the  first  appointees  being 
Doctors  James  Crane,  Willard  Parker,  Jackson 
S.  Shultz,  and  John  O.  Stone.  The  board  made 
many  preparations  to  prevent  and  combat  any  visi- 
tation that  might  appear.  The  matter  of  a  quar- 
antine station,  however,  baffled  the  commissioners, 
who  could  find  no  place  around  the  harbor  that 
would  consent  to  the  establishing  of  a  station  in 
its  neighborhood. 


1  he  steamship  Virginia,  from  Liverpool,  ar- 
rived April  1 8,  1 866,  with  several  cases  of 
Asiatic  cholera  on  board.  Those  affected  were 
transferred  to  a  hospital  ship  and  a  specially  fitted 
steamer  was  used  as  a  detention  place  for  those 
who  were  well.  On  May  I  a  case  broke  out  in 
a  tenement  at  Ninety-third  Street  and  Third  Av- 
enue and  on  May  2  there  was  another  case  in 
a  tenement  at  1  5  Mulberry  Street.  Many  cases 
followed,  increasing  until  August  and  then  dim- 
inishing. I  he  cases  were  treated  in  several  hos- 
pitals but  there  were  460  deaths  in  the  city  and 
752  in  the  hospitals  and  penal  institutions  on  the 
islands,  a  total  of  1,212  for  New  York,  but  the 
nun:ber  dying  in  Brooklyn  was  larger,  and  the 
rate  of  mortality  was  much  higher  in  the  Western 
cities,  where  many  thousands  died. 

Fhe  Tweed  Ring  and  its  devious  ways  brought 
to  the  City  of  New  York  the  greatest  political  dis- 
grace it  has  ever  known.  William  M.  Tweed, 
chairmaker  by  trade,  who  preferred  gang  politics 
to  work,  won  his  way  by  joining  the  "Big  Six" 
Volunteer  Fire  Company  and  becoming  its  fore- 
man. He  was  the  kind  of  man  popularly  desig- 
nated as  "a  mixer,"  having  the  faculty  to  attach 
to  himself  and  his  fortunes  a  host  of  pliable  fol- 
lowers, some  by  the  sheer  force  of  his  personal 
magnetism  and  others  by  his  demonstrated  power 
as  a  "boss"  to  repay  service  by  a  division  of  the 
spoils.  He  was  elected  as  alderman  from  the 
Seventh  Ward  in  1852  and  1853;  was  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress  from  1853  to  1855;  then  mem- 
ber of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  and  its  chairman 
for  four  terms.  That  Board,  under  a  law  passed 
m  1857,  was  the  governing  body  of  New  York 
County,  and  Fweed  made  the  position  exceedingly 
lucrative. 

John  T.  Hoffman,  who  was  elected  Mayor  in 
1 866,  was  chosen  for  Governor  in  1 868,  his 
nomination  having  been  gained  by  the  united  sup- 
port of  Tammany,  of  which  Tweed  was  then 
Grand  Sachem.  Leaving  the  Mayoralty  in  De- 
cember, Mayor  Hoffman  %\as  succeeded  by 
Thomas  Coman,  as  Acting  Mayor.  Mr.  Coman, 
who  was  a  printer  by  trade,  had  previously  served 
as  member  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen. 

At  the  November  election  (1868)  A.  Oakey 
Hall,  who  had  acceptably  filled  the  office  of  dis- 
trict attorney,  was  put  up  for  Mayor  at  Tweed's 
suggestion.  The  selection  was  one  to  appeal  fa- 
vorably to  respectable  voters.  A.  Oakey  Hall  was 
a  fine  lawyer,  a  finished  scholar,  a  writer  and  lec- 
turer of  attractive  power  and  of  cultured  manner. 
Although  he  was  tried  with  the  others  there  was 
no  evidence  whatever  that  he  had  participated  m 
or  profited  by  the  movements  of  the  "gang"  and 
he  was  acquitted. 

As  chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors 
Tweed  found  many  opportunities  to  put  into  ef- 
fect the  grafter's  formula  of  "addition,  division  and 
silence.  '     As  Grind  Sachem  of  Tammany  Hall 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


57 


he  had  great  pohtical  power.  But  he  wished  to 
make  himself  absolutely  impregnable.  He  there- 
fore secured  the  passage  through  the  Legislature  of 
a  nev\  city  charter  which  abolished  the  power  of 
the  Board  of  Supervisors  over  contracts,  greatly 
increased  the  Home  Rule  features  of  the  city  gorv- 
ernment  and  vested  the  entire  executive  power  in 
the  hands  of  the  Mayor  and  eleven  departments, 
all  of  the  heads  of  which  were  to  be  appointed  by 
the  Mayor.  The  bill  met  with  marked  favor  be- 
cause it  carried  so  large  a  measure  of  home  rule. 

The  "joker"  in  this  bill  was  a  provision  for 
the  abolition  of  the  offices  of  Street  Commissioner 
and  the  Croton  Department,  and  concentrating 
their  powers  in  a  new  official,  the  Commissioner  of 


yer,  son  of  a  saloon-keeper;  Richard  D.  Connolly, 
born  in  Ireland,  but  resident  in  New  York  from 
boyhood,  who  had  been  county  clerk  and  later 
State  Senator. 

There  were  also  many  connections  which  gave 
Tweed  absolute  control  of  many  or  practically  all 
the  city  departments,  but  the  strongest  fortifications 
of  his  mastery  were  his  absolute  control  of  three 
judges:  George  G.  Barnard,  John  H.  McCunn, 
and  Albert  Cardozo.  The  two  first  of  these  who 
were  justices  of  the  Supreme  Court,  were  men  of 
little  legal  knowledge  and  were  merely  ward  poli- 
ticians. Cardozo,  who  was  judge  of  the  Court  of 
Common  Pleas,  was  of  entirely  different  calibre, 
being  an  able  lawyer,  a  man  of  culture  and  refined 


Third  New  York  Building  Devoted  to  Post  Office  Purposes— The  Mutual  Life 
Building  Now  Occupies  the  Site. 


Public  Works,  in  whom  was  vested  all  the  con- 
tractual powers  which  had  before  been  possessed 
by  the  Board  of  Supervisors.  Mayor  Hall,  who 
had  been  re-elected  in  1870,  appointed  Tweed  to 
this  position  which,  by  law,  had  a  four-year  term, 
which  was  twice  as  long  as  that  of  the  Mayor  ap- 
pointing him.  He  thus  fortified  himself  against  the 
possibility  of  removal  if  the  succeeding  Mayor 
should  be  one  he  could  not  control. 

Tweed  had  built  up  a  system  of  rings  within 
rings  which  gave  him  complete  control  of  all 
phases  of  public  affairs  of  the  city  and  a  division 
of  all  the  political  spoils.  But  his  intimate  asso- 
ciates, comprising  the  ruling  gang  in  all  city  cor- 
ruption, were  Peter  B.  Sweeney,  a  mediocre  law- 


manner  and  therefore  the  most  dangerous  of  the 
three.  Sweeney  was  proved  to  be  the  creative 
genius  of  the  gang.  He  planned  the  methods  of 
peculation  while  Tweed  manipulated  the  activities 
which  landed  the  loot.  In  1868  to  1870  the 
operations  of  the  gang  were  carried  on  by  Tweed, 
chairman  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors;  Peter  B. 
Sweeney,  City  Chamberlain,  and  Richard  B.  Con- 
nolly, Comptroller.  This  was  a  very  successful 
combination  but  nothing  so  powerful  as  that  in 
1870  when  Tweed  was  appointed  Commissioner 
of  Public  Works;  Peter  B.  Sweeney,  head  of  the 
Park  Department  and  Richard  B.  Connolly, 
Comptroller.  The  Audit  Board  was  composed  of 
the   Mayor,    Comptroller,    and   Commissioner  of 


58 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


Public  Works  (Hall,  Connolly  and  Tweed). 
There  was  a  divide  on  all  bills,  and  fat  pickings 
came  from  every  direction.  But  the  fattest 
producer  was  the  New  York  City  Courthouse.  It 
was  limited  in  cost  in  the  original  contract  to 
$250,000  but  cost  the  taxpayers  more  than  $14,- 
000,000,  of  which  more  than  half  was  diverted 
into  the  pockets  of  the  "gang"  and  its  satellites. 
The  Board  of  Audit  held  one  five-minute  session 
and  ordered  all  outstanding  bills  to  be  paid.  Be- 
yond that  the  auditing  powers  of  the  Board  were 
delegated  to  James  Watson,  the  County  Auditor, 
who  afterward  audited  all  the  bills,  sometimes 
carrying  them  around  to  the  members  of  the  Board 
for  their  signatures,  and  at  other  times  overlooking 
that  procedure.     Within  less  than  four  months  from 


James  O'Brien,  came  across  this  secret  list  while 
looking  up  some  records  in  the  office.  As  it 
seemed  to  be  a  suspicious  list  he  made  an  exact 
copy  of  it  and  carried  it  to  his  patron.  Sheriff 
O'Brien.  The  significance  of  it  was  at  once  seen 
by  O'Brien,  who  had  made  up  his  mind  to  use  it 
as  a  lever  to  compel  the  payment  of  a  claim  he  had 
against  the  City.  By  advice  of  Sweeney  payment 
of  O'Brien's  claim  was  refused  and  O'Brien  left, 
threatening  to  publish  the  list  in  The  New  York 
Times.  After  he  had  left  the  members  of  the 
ring  decided  to  try  to  square  O'Brien  and  sent 
Watson  over  to  Berlholf's  Hotel,  a  sporting  head- 
quarters in  Harlem  Lane  which  the  Sheriff  fre- 
quented. But  as  the  Sheriff  was  detained,  Wat- 
son started  for  home.     His  carriage  got  into  col- 


^^^^  "^^iteT 


View  of  the  North  Side  of  Wall  Street,  1866. 


the  one  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Audit,  $6,312,- 
000  were  paid  out  of  the  City  Treasury,  of  which 
amount  the  sum  of  $5,710,130  was  paid  for  fit- 
ting up  and  furnishing  the  new  Courthouse.  There 
was  a  memorandum  privately  kept  in  the  office  of 
Watson,  the  County  Auditor,  which  was  headed 
"County  Liabilities"  and  contained  the  details  of 
bills  paid,  the  percentage  taken  out  for  the  "gang" 
and  the  division  among  the  gangsters.  In  the 
early  days  of  the  Court  House  construction  fifteen 
per  cent,  was  added  to  each  bill  to  be  returned  to 
the  ring,  but  as  it  went  on  and  the  control  of  the 
ring  became  more  absolute  the  percentage  of  graft 
was  steadily  raised  until,  toward  the  last,  it 
amounted  to  65  per  cent.  William  S.  Copeland, 
who  had  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  County 
Auditor's  office  through  the  influence  of  Sheriff 


lision  with  another  vehicle  and  Watson  was  thrown 
out,  receiving  such  injuries  that  he  never  regained 
consciousness  and  died  a  few  hours  later.  Around 
his  bedside  the  members  of  the  ring  anxiously 
gathered,  partly  to  head  off  any  possible  confes- 
sion and  partly  in  hope  of  securing  a  transfer  of 
a  large  amount  of  property  belonging  to  the  gang 
and  held  in  Watson's  name.  But  as  he  died  with- 
out any  recognition  his  widow  inherited  the  prop- 
erty. 

O'Brien  continued  his  endeavor  to  have  his 
claim  settled  but,  receiving  no  satisfaction,  took  his 
list  to  George  Jones,  proprietor  of  the  Times,  to 
use  as  he  pleased.  The  subsequent  proceedings 
resulted  in  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  Tweed,  the 
flight  of  Connolly,  Sweeney  and  other  gangsters  to 
Europe.    Tweed  escaped  from  jail  and  went  to 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


59 


Spain  but  was  returned  to  New  York  and  died 
in  jail.  Samuel  J.  Tilden  and  Andrew  H.  Green 
were  leaders  in  securing  the  breaking  up  of  the 
Ring,  both  legally  and  politically,  with  able  back- 
ing from  the  Times  and  Tribune  and  the  incisive 
pencil  of  Thomas  Nast  of  Harper's  Weekly.  It 
is  estimated  that  the  five  years  of  Tweed  domi- 
nation brought  an  addition  of  $100,000,000  to 
the  bonded  debt  of  the  city,  doubled  its  annual  ex- 
penditure and  cost  the  taxpayers  $160,000,000. 

The  need  of  reform  in  the  city  administration 
was  recognized  by  the  election  in  December,  1872, 
of  William  F.  Havemeyer  for  another  term  as 
Mayor.  He  had  filled  the  office  for  two  previous 
terms,  having  been  elected  in  1845  and  1848. 
He  had  been  active,  as  vice-president  of  the  Com- 
mittee of  Seventy,  in  the  work  of  overthrowing 
the  Tweed  Ring.  He  died  November  30,  1874, 
a  month  before  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office. 
S.  B.  H.  Vance  became  acting  Mayor  until  Jan- 
uary 1,  1875,  when  William  H.  Wickham,  who 
had  been  elected  in  November  under  a  new 
law  making  the  city  coincident  with  the  State  elec- 
tion, was  inaugurated.  A  revision  of  the  city 
charter  passed  June  13,  1873,  abolished  the 
Board  of  Assistant  Aldermen  which  had  been  re- 
vived in  1 869  and  in  place  of  it  created  a  new 
Common  Council  of  twenty-one  aldermen. 

There  were  several  outbreaks  of  mob  disturb- 
ances in  1870  and  1871  but  none  that  the  police 
were  unable  to  handle  without  great  effort  except 
the  so-called  Orange  Riot  of  July  12,  1871.  It 
was  one  of  those  disagreeable  reminders  that  many 
classes  of  our  adopted  citizens  bring  with  them 
not  only  their  traditions  and  social  habits  but  also 
their  feuds  and  enmities.  The  Orangemen  of  New- 
York  in  1870  determined  to  celebrate  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  Battle  of  the  Boyne  with  a  picnic  at 
Elm  Park  on  Eighth  Avenue  near  Ninety-second 
Street.  As  they  marched  up  the  avenue  playing 
some  of  the  tunes  that  celebrate  the  victory  of  the 
forces  of  William  of  Orange  over  those  of  his 
father-in-law,  James  II,  near  Drogheda,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Boyne  in  I  690,  they  passed  a  gang 
of  laborers  (Catholic  Irish)  who  vented  their  op- 
position by  throwing  stones.  Soon  there  was  a 
pitched  battle  between  the  two  factions  and  shots 
were  fired  on  both  sides,  killing  three  persons  and 
wounding  several  others,  of  whom  some  afterward 
died.  A  strong  police  body  arrived  and  restored 
order. 

There  was  much  feeling  engendered  by  the  af- 
fair and  the  Orangemen  determined  to  parade  the 
next  year.  The  other  faction,  which  paraded  in 
full  force  on  March  I  7,  had  Mayor  A.  Oakey 
Hall  to  head  their  parade,  wearing  the  insignia 
of  the  Ribbonmen.  But  they  determined  to  pre- 
vent the  Orange  partisans  from  parading.  James 
J.  Kelso,  who  was  then  Superintendent  of  Police, 
issued  an  order  on  July  II,  1871,  prohibit- 
ing  the   Orangemen    from   parading,    this  order 


being  approved  by  the  Mayor.  Governor  Hoff- 
man, informed  of  this  police  order  by  telegraph, 
came  post-haste  from  Albany,  looked  into  the 
situation  and  countermanded  the  order.  He  de- 
clared that  the  equality  of  right  between  the  two 
parties  must  be  upheld  and  issued  a  proclamation 
calling  on  all  citizens  to  keep  the  peace  and  de- 
claring that  the  civil  and  military  power  of  the 
State  would  protect  the  paraders.  This  notice 
came  so  late  that  many  Orangemen,  acting  in  the 
belief  that  there  would  be  no  parade,  had  ar- 
ranged to  celebrate  the  day  outside  of  the  city ; 
so  that  only  the  Gideon  Lodge  of  Orangemen, 
numbering  fewer  than  one  hundred  men,  were  in 
the  line,  protected  by  the  Ninth,  Eighty-fourth, 
Sixth,  Seventh  and  Twenty-second  Regiments, 
which  marched  in  the  parade.  Crowds  of  spec- 
tators lined  the  sidewalks  on  the  line  of  march 
and  quietly  looked  on  until  from  a  tenement  on 
Eighth  Avenue  between  Twenty-fourth  and 
Twenty-fifth  Streets  a  shot  was  fired  into  the  pro- 
cession. This  was  the  signal  for  a  general  as- 
sault from  nearby  houses  and  from  the  sidewalks. 
Volleys  from  the  Ninth  and  Eighty-fourth  regi- 
ments responded  and  ended  the  contest,  in  which 
fifty-four  persons  (some  of  them  unfortunately  in- 
nocent onlookers)  were  killed.  The  shooting  by 
the  two  regiments  was  not  authorized,  the  Colonel 
of  the  Ninth  Regiment,  who  was  the  notorious 
James  Fisk,  partner  of  Jay  Gould,  having  de- 
serted his  regiment  as  soon  as  the  shooting  from 
the  crowd  began.  But  although  there  was  some 
condemnation  of  the  regiments  for  firing,  the  gen- 
eral ojDinion  of  those  unconnected  with  either  of 
the  Irish  factions  was  that  it  was  justified  as  the 
only  means  to  end  the  outbreak  where  it  began. 
There  was  general  approval  of  the  course  of  the 
Governor  in  upholding  equal  rights  of  organiza- 
tions of  citizens  without  distinction  of  politics  or 
religion  to  peacefully  use  the  public  streets. 

In  1872  there  occurred  the  most  extensive 
strike  that  had  up  to  that  time  ever  occurred  in 
New  York.  It  was  one  of  the  earliest  of  the 
efforts  made  in  the  movement,  which  has  since 
been  successful  in  many  trades,  to  reduce  to  eight 
the  normal  working  hours  of  labor.  The  strike 
of  1872  began  with  the  attempt  of  the  union 
house  painters  of  the  city  to  secure  the  eight-hour 
day  and  the  demand  was  soon  after  joined  in  by 
the  bricklayers,  carpenters  and  various  other  build- 
ing trades  until  more  than  forty  thousand  work- 
men were  idle.  The  workmen  were  not  successful 
in  realizing  their  demand  but  returned  to  work 
after  wages  estimated  at  more  than  five  and  a 
half  millions  of  dollars  had  been  lost  in  their  ef- 
fort. It  was  tried  at  an  unfortunate  period  when 
events  tended  to  a  season  of  panic  and  stringency. 

The  year  1873  saw  the  beginning  of  such  a 
season.  After  the  Civil  War  there  had  been  a 
great  era  of  railway  development,  land  booms 
and  speculative  enterprises  stimulated  by   a  con- 


60 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


sideiable  inllation  ol  the  curieiicy.  Many  large 
corporations  had  greatly  increased  their  bonded 
and  floating  debts.  Gold  had  kept  at  a  consid- 
erable premium.  In  May,  1873,  it  was  found 
impossible  to  place  an  issue  of  American  bonds  in 
Europe  and  that  set  in  motion  the  panic  and  strin- 
gency which  brought  bank  failures,  railroad  bank- 
ruptcies and  a  season  of  business  depression  which 
was  severe  for  months,  followed  by  years  of  dull- 
ness and  slow  recovery. 

In  the  election  of  William  F.  Havemeyer  it 
had  been  hoped  that  there  would  be  an  era  of 
reform  in  the  city  government  of  New  York  but 
the  administration  was  not  vigorous,  there  were 
several  unfortunate  appointments  made  and  there 
was  more  wrangling  than  anything  else  in  the 
Board  of  Aldermen.  There  was  no  question 
about  the  personal  character  or  integrity  of  Mr. 
Havemeyer  but  his  administration  brought  little 
that  was  constructive.  As  for  public  improve- 
ments the  condition  of  general  business  was  such 
that  all  but  necessary  repair  work  was  suspended. 
The  administration  of  his  successor,  William  H. 
Wickham,  was  much  more  successful.  Like  Mr. 
Havemeyer  he  had  been  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Committee  of  Seventy  that  brought  about  the 
downfall  of  the  Tweed  Ring  and  of  the  Tilden 
group  of  Democrats  that  became  prominent  in  re- 
form work.  Mr.  Wickham  placed  high  class 
men  at  the  head  of  the  city  departments.  Wil- 
liam C.  Whitney  was  appointed  corporation  coun- 
sel and  saved  the  city  several  millions  of  dollars 
by  defeating  improper  claims  against  the  city 
treasury.  Among  the  other  heads  of  depart- 
ments were  Allen  Campbell,  General  William  F. 
Smith,  General  Fitz-John  Porter,  Charles  J.  Can- 
da,  Joel  B.  Erhardt,  Stephen  A.  Waller,  and 
Dr.  Edward  G.  Janeway.  At  the  close  of  his 
term  iMayor  Wickham  was  tendered  a  banquet, 
given  by  leading  citizens  regardless  of  party  in  ap- 
preciation of  his  excellent  administration — a  com- 
pliment no  previous  Mayor  had  ever  received. 

Succeeding  Mr.  Wickham  were  several  mayors 
of  high  character  and  successful  administrative 
ability:  Smith  EIv,  1877-1878;  Edward  Cooper, 
1879-1880;  William  R.  Grace,  1881-1882; 
Franklin  Edson,  1883-1884;  William  R.  Grace 
again,  1885-1886;  and  Abram  S.  Hewitt, 
1887-1889,  the  term  of  Mayor  having  been 
lengthened.  The  most  prominent  political  per- 
sonality of  the  'Seventies  in  New  York  was 
Samuel  J.  Tilden,  who  led  the  forces  that  over- 
threw the  Tweed  Ring.  He  was  elected  Gov- 
ernor of  New  York  in  1874  and  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  the  Presidency  in  1876,  re- 
ceiving a  majority  of  the  popular  vote  of  the 
country  but  failing  of  a  majority  of  the  electoral 
vote,  according  to  the  decision  of  the  Electoral 
Commission. 

The  centennial  year,  1876,  brought  an  influx 
of  foreign  visitors  who  came  to  the  Centennial  Ex- 


position at  Philadelijhia,  but  also  look  in  the 
sights  and  attractions  of  the  metropolis  of  the 
Western  World.  The  Emperor  and  Empress  of 
Brazil  were  royal  visitors  who  came  that  year. 

1  hat  same  year  witnessed  the  removal  of  a  great 
obstruction  to  the  navigation  of  the  East  River  by 
the  successful  engineering  feat  of  General  John 
Newton,  in  the  blowing  up  of  the  Hallet's  Point 
Rocks,  at  Hell  Gate,  on  September  24th.  There 
had  been  pessimistic  forebodings  of  great  destruc- 
tion to  occur  from  the  explosion,  which  had  been 
prepared  for  by  ten  years  of  hard  work;  but  one 
touch  of  a  button  by  General  Newton's  little 
daughter  set  off  the  great  mine  of  fifty-two 
thousand  pounds  of  explosives,  and  the  thing  was 
accomplished  without  in  any  degree  fulfilling  the 
prophecies  of  destruction. 

The  early  progress  of  the  rapid  transit  enter- 
prises of  the  city  were  much  hampered  by  the 
experimental  character  of  much  of  the  work  for 
which  there  was  no  previous  experience  to  serve 
as  guide,  but  still  more  by  the  large  amount  of 
litigation  which  sought  to  nullify  these  efforts  for 
municipal  improvement,  with  injunctions  to  make 
the  interruption  as  thorough  as  possible.  But  af- 
ter the  decision  of  the  courts  in  1 878  that  the 
charters  of  the  elevated  companies  were  constitu- 
tional, rapid  progress  was  made  in  completing  all 
the  four  elevated  lines  and  with  the  organizing 
genius  of  Cyrus  W.  Field,  who  had  secured  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  Ninth  Avenue  road,  and 
a  consolidation  of  the  two  proprietary  companies 
in  1879,  all  four  lines  on  Ninth,  Eighth.  Third 
and  Second  Avenues  were  completed  to  Harlem 
and  united  under  one  system. 

The  clearing  away  of  the  impediments  to  rapid 
transit  had  a  remarkable  effect  in  the  extension  of 
the  area  available  for  the  use  of  the  urban  pop- 
ulation. The  political  extension  of  the  city  limits 
preceded  by  several  years  the  means  for  making 
its  northern  territory  useful  for  homes.  In  1873 
an  increase  of  the  area  of  the  city  from  approxi- 
mately fourteen  thousand  acres  to  twenty-seven 
thousand  acres  was  effected  by  an  act  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  New  York  adding  to  New- 
York  City  a  liberal  slice  of  Westchester  County, 
including  the  villages  of  Kingsbridge,  Morrisania 
and  West  Farms,  making  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  city  on  its  west  side  identical  with  the  south 
line  of  the  City  of  h  onkers.  This  practical  doub- 
ling of  the  city  area  seemed  folly  to  that  section 
of  the  people  which  enjoys  looking  on  the  dark 
side  of  things  through  an  inverted  lens  but  at  no 
time  in  the  past  century  has  optimism  about  the 
future  of  New  York  been  dishonored  by  the  facts. 
And  that  is  why  we  have  here  the  world's  great- 
est city.  By  a  large  majority  its  people  are  op- 
timists and  especially  are  those  who  are  doing 
big  things  optimistic  about  the  city.  As  is  faith 
so  is  strength;  and  the  people  who  plan  their 
work  on  the  hypothesis  that  the  town  is  big  and 


NEM^    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


61 


Former  Structures  on  Site  of 
Singer  Building. 


Hotel  Belmont. 


62 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


IS  going  to  l)t"  bigger  are  those  who  are  making 
it  bigger. 

A  most  unique  and  attractive  addition  to  the 
special  features  of  Central  Park  was  made  on 
January  22.  1881,  when  the  Egyptian  obelisk, 
which  had  been  presented  to  the  City  of  New 
York  in  1877  by  the  late  Khedive  Ismail  Pasha, 
was  finally  and  successfully  raised  on  a  slight  em- 
inence near  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art. 
The  total  expense  of  removal  and  erection  of  this 
monolith,  which  amounted  to  nearly  one  hundred 
and  four  thousand  dollars,  was  borne  by  William 
H.  Vanderbilt.  The  obelisk  has  a  history  dating 
back  to  the  time  of  the  Pharaohs,  or,  to  be 
exact  as  possible,  to  a  date  between  1591  and 
1565  B.  C.  It  was  first  erected  at  Heliopolis. 
and  was  thence  removed  to  Alexandria  in  the 
year  22  B.  C.  Its  height  is  ninety  feet,  the 
shaft  itself  being  sixty-nine  feet  high  and  weighing 
443,000  pounds. 

The  Republican  National  Convention  in  1 880 
developed  two  factions,  one  known  as  the  "Stal- 
warts," who  were  for  a  third  Presidential  term 
for  General  Grant,  and  the  others  led  by  James 
G.  Blaine  whom  their  opponents  stigmatized  as 
"Half-breeds."  The  Stalwarts  had  one  hundred 
and  six  votes  which  stuck  without  change  to  Gen- 
eral Grant  from  the  first  to  the  last  ballot,  the 
majority  vote  and  the  nomination  for  President 
going  to  James  A.  Garfield  of  Ohio.  To  pla- 
cate the  Stalwart  faction  the  offer  was  made  for  it 
to  designate  its  own  candidate  for  Vice-President, 
and  Senator  Roscoe  Conkling,  who  was  the  lead- 
er of  the  faction,  named  Chester  A.  Arthur  of 
New  York.  As  it  turned  out  that  gentleman, 
who  had  been  up  to  the  time  of  his  election  as 
Vice-President  the  Collector  of  Customs  of  New- 
York,  was  President  of  the  United  States  less 
than  a  year  later,  in  place  of  the  President  who 
had  been  laid  low  by  the  assassin's  hand.  The 
population  of  New  York  City  was  942,292  in 
1870  and  in  1880  had  increased  to  1,206,299. 

James  Lenox,  bachelor  philanthropist,  died  in 
New  York  in  his  eightieth  year  on  February  1  7, 
1 880.  He  was  the  son  of  Robert  Lenox,  a 
wealthy  New  York  merchant,  and  after  gradua- 
tion from  Columbia  studied  law  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  but  never  practiced.  Being  very 
wealthy  and  a  lover  of  literature  and  art,  he 
spent  his  life  chiefly  as  a  collector  of  books.  He 
collected  them  too  fast  to  keep  them  catalogued, 
but  he  became  possessed  of  many  literary  treasures ; 
would  admit  no  one  to  see  his  collections,  even 
authors  of  the  highest  repute,  and  even  refused 
to  let  Prescott  consult  his  Mexican  manuscripts. 
He  also  collected  pictures  of  the  masters.  But  in 
1  870  he  concluded  to  make  his  collection  free  to 
the  public  and  he  appointed  nine  trustees,  includ- 
ing himself,  to  carry  out  his  plan,  gave  the  land, 
built  a  most  attractive  library  building  on  Fifth 
Avenue  between  Seventieth  and  Seventy-first  Street 


<ind  filled  it  with  his  wonderful  collection  of  books, 
pictures  and  objets  d'art.  The  original  gift  to  the 
public  involved  in  this  Lenox  Library  was  con- 
servatively estimated  at  two  million  dollars  in 
value,  with  an  endowment  to  keep  it  going.  It 
forms  an  important  part  of  the  consolidated  New 
York  Public  Library — Astor.  Lenox  and  Tilden 
Foundations. 

In  1  88 1  the  most  exciting  events  were  political 
ones  connected  with  the  feud  between  the  factions 
of  the  Republican  Party  and  the  resignation  of 
Senators  Conkling  and  Piatt  from  their  seats  in 
the  United  States  Senate  because  of  the  removal 
by  President  Garfield,  over  their  protest,  of  Gen- 
eral Edwin  A.  Merritt  from  the  office  of  Col- 
lector of  the  Port  of  New  York,  and  the  ap- 
pointment to  that  office,  equally  over  their  protest, 
of  William  H.  Roberson  to  that  office.  The  split 
ihen  engendered  in  the  Republican  Party  is  de- 
clared by  many  good  judges  of  political  matters 
la  have  made  possible  the  election  of  Grover  Cleve- 
land to  the  Governorship  of  New  York  in  1 882 
and  to  the  Presidential  office  in  1884. 

The  great  East  River  bridge  project  reached 
its  successful  culmination  in  1883,  being  dedicated 
and  opened  for  travel  on  May  24.  No  other 
single  event  has  been  more  important  in  the  list 
of  the  creative  acts  that  have  brought  forth  Greater 
New  York  than  this  linking  together  of  Man- 
hattan and  Brooklyn. 

1  he  failure  in  1 884  of  James  R.  Keene,  per- 
haps the  most  astute  and  daring  operator  that 
Wall  Street  has  ever  known,  with  four  million 
dollars  liabilities,  led  to  closing  of  the  doors  of  the 
Marine  Bank,  of  which  James  T.  Fish  was  presi- 
dent, and  the  collapse  of  the  firm  of  Grant  & 
Ward,  in  which  General  U.  S.  Grant  was  inter- 
ested but  not  active  and  Ferdinand  Ward,  who 
had  inveigled  General  Grant  into  the  connection, 
was  the  active  man.  In  his  endeavor  to  avert  the 
crash  General  Grant  borrowed  $150,000  from 
William  H.  Vanderbilt,  but  he  lost  that  and  all 
his  savings.  Investigation  of  the  failures  revealed 
fraudulent  acts  on  the  part  of  James  T.  Fish  and 
Ferdinand  Ward,  who  were  sent  to  Sing  Sing  for 
ten  years  at  hard  labor.  General  Grant,  who  had 
been  victimized  by  these  two  schemers,  refused  to 
accept  the  offer  of  Mr.  Vanderbilt  to  cancel  his 
debt,  and  set  to  work  to  write  "The  Personal 
Memoirs  of  General  U.  S.  Grant,"  which  had 
such  a  remarkable  sale  that  he  was  able  not  only 
to  pay  his  debts  but  also  to  regain  a  fairly  good 
proportion  of  what  he  had  lost.  He  did  not, 
however,  long  survive  his  troubles  and  the  hard 
work  he  had  done  to  overcome  them.  He  died 
July  23,  1885,  at  Mount  McGregor,  near  Sara- 
toga. He  was  buried  with  ceremonies  memorable 
for  their  representative  and  imposing  quality. 
Later  the  splendid  mausoleum  in  Riverside  Park 
\sas  erected  at  a  cost  of  five  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  half  of  which  came  from  a  Congressional 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


63 


appropriation  and  the  remainder  from  popular  sub- 
scription. The  General's  remains  lie  there  and 
beside  them  those  of  his  wife,  who  died  some 
years  later. 

In  1876  M.  Auguste  Bartholdi,  the  eminent 
French  sculptor,  visiting  the  Centennial  Exposition, 
offered  to  present  to  this  country  a  colossal  statue 
of  Liberty  if  a  proper  site  should  be  chosen  for 
it.  The  islet  in  the  Upper  Bay  in  New  York, 
known  as  Bedloe's  Island,  was  chosen  for  the 
statue  and  on  August  5,    1884,  the  cornerstone 


President  Cleveland,  Senator  William  M.  Evarts, 
Chauncey  M.  Depew  and  M.  Lefaivre  made  the 
addresses  of  the  occasion.  The  statue  is  notable 
the  world  over  both  for  its  massive  completeness 
and  its  appropriate  symbolism.  At  first  the  torch 
was  frequently  lighted  with  gas  but  a  recent  im- 
provement greatly  adding  to  its  symbolic  value  is 
the  addition  of  an  electric  plant  by  which  the 
statue  is  now  illuminated,  this  valuable  feature  be- 
ing the  result  of  a  popular  subscription  inaugurated 
and  earned  through  by  the  New  York  World. 


Opening  of  the  Brooklyn  Bridge,  1883. 


was  laid  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  The  statue 
was  formally  unveiled  on  October  22,  1886. 
President  Cleveland  and  his  cabinet,  the  gover- 
nors of  many  States,  members  of  the  Diplomatic 
Corps  and  many  distinguished  Americans  had  been 
invited.  The  guests  of  honor  were  the  members 
of  the  French  deputation,  headed  by  M.  Bar- 
tholdi, and  including  Ferdinand  de  Lesseps,  orig- 
inal designer  of  the  Panama  Canal,  Admiral 
Jaures,   General   Pellissier    and    other  notables. 


On  March  1 8,  1 886,  Alderman  Jaehne  was 
arrested  charged  with  receiving  a  bribe  to  vote 
a  franchise  to  the  Broadway  Surface  Railroad. 
He  was  tried  and  found  guilty  on  May  15,  and 
five  days  later  was  sentenced  to  the  State  Prison 
for  nine  years  and  ten  months. 

The  year  1886  was  the  year  of  anarchist 
riots  at  various  places,  notably  at  Chicago,  where 
seven  policemen  were  killed  and  sixty  wounded 
by  a  dynamite  bomb.       In  New  York  Johann 


64 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


Most,  a  German  an.uchist,  einboldciied  by  the 
reports  of  anarchist  outbreaks  in  other  cities,  made 
violent  and  threatening  speeches  which  led  to  his 
arrest.  He  was  tried  and  found  guilty  and  sen- 
tenced to  a  prison  term.  Earlier  in  the  year  there 
was  a  street  car  strike  in  New  York  which  tied 
up  several  lines  for  a  considerable  period. 

Jacob  Sharp,  who  had  for  more  than  twenty 
years  been  identified  with  horse  railroad  activities, 
having  been  president  of  two  crosstown  hnes  as 
early  as  1865,  had  secured  a  charter  from  the 
Board  of  Aldermen  for  a  horse  railroad  in  Broad- 
way. The  State  Senate  in  1  885  appointed  an  in- 
vestigating committee  which  uncovered  the  evidence 
of  fraud  and  bribery  by  which  the  franchise  was 
procured  in  1 884,  Senator  Roscoe  Conkhng  and 
Clarence  A.  Seward  making  the  arguments  by 
which,  after  three  months  spent  in  gathering  testi- 
mony, the  repeal  of  the  charter  was  secured.  In 
1887  Jacob  Sharp  and  several  aldermen  were 
tried  and  convicted,  servmg  penitentiary  sentences. 

New  York  still  notes  that  March  1  I  to  March 
1 4,  I  888,  holds  the  record  for  severity  in  snow- 
storms. The  blizzard  raged  through  the  streets 
with  a  velocity  which  reached  forty-six  miles  an 
hour  at  its  maximum.  Streets  were  blocked,  rail- 
roads put  out  of  commission  and  New  York  busi- 
ness men  and  their  employees  who  lived  in  the 
suburbs  were  snowbound  in  the  downtown  district. 
Several  people  died  from  the  effects  of  the  storm. 
Senator  Conkhng  was  one  of  the  victims.  He 
spent  several  hours  trying  to  get  from  his  office 
to  his  hotel,  arrived  exhausted  and  developed 
pneumonia,  from  which  he  died.  He  had  been  a 
member  of  the  National  House  of  Representatives 
for  eight  years  and  of  the  Senate  for  fourteen 
and  was  a  brilliant  jurist  and  orator. 

The  centennial  celebration  of  the  inauguration 
of  George  Washington  as  President  of  the  United 
States  was  observed  in  New  York  in  a  manner 


befitting  the  city  and  the  occasion.  President 
Benjamin  Harrison,  who  was  the  guest  of  honor, 
took  part  in  the  program,  landing  in  a  boat  at 
foot  of  Wall  Street  in  the  same  way  as  the  first 
President  had  done  one  hundred  years  before.  A 
great  naval  parade,  a  military  display  of  special 
completeness  and  a  civic  procession  with  thousands 
of  city  and  outside  participants,  including  the 
governors  of  several  States  as  well  as  several 
unique  decorative  features,  made  the  celebration 
from  April  29  to  May  I,  1889,  memorable.  A 
temporary  arch  which  spanned  Fifth  Avenue  near 
Waverly  Place,  designed  by  Stanford  White,  was 
especially  admired.  It  was  determined  to  perpet- 
uate this  feature  in  marble  at  Washington  Square 
and  this  was  later  done  at  a  cost  of  $128,000, 
raised  by  popular  subscription.  The  cornerstone 
was  laid  on  May  30,  1890,  and  the  arch  was 
completed  April  18,  1892. 

In  1 888  Hugh  J.  Grant  was  elected  Mayor 
of  New  York  for  the  two-year  term  beginning 
in  January,  1 889,  on  the  Tammany  ticket  and 
was  re-elected  in  1 890,  thus  serving  for  four 
years. 

The  Federal  census  of  1 890  showed  the  pop- 
ulation of  New  York  City  to  number  1,515,301, 
or  more  than  twice  the  population  of  the  city 
twenty-five  years  before.  It  was  still  a  city  un- 
finished, a  city  of  change  and  flux,  the  streets 
being  constantly  torn  up  for  one  purpose  or  an- 
other. The  people  have  learned  to  live  in  layers 
— "flats"  they  call  them.  The  telephone  has 
come  into  use  in  a  small  way ;  electric  lights  are 
being  tried;  the  elevator  is  suggesting  to  landlords 
the  policy  of  building  higher  structures.  Many 
changes  impend  which  will  make  the  New  York 
of  1890  look  like  a  suggestion  of  some  medieval 
story.  But  with  it  all  the  town  is  learning  how 
to  grow.  It  had  already  reached  a  stage  of  won- 
derful progress. 


Middle  Dutch  Church  and  Old  Sugar  House — Church  Was  Later 
Post  Office— Site  of  Mutual  Life  Bldg. 


CHAPTER  SIX 


From  1891  to  1917 


Enter  the  Greater  City  and  the  World's  Foremost  Port  and  Market— A  De- 
velopment Without  Precedent  or  Parallel. 


IN  1  890  the  Legislature  appointed  a  commission 
to  make  inquiry  into  the  expediency  of  con- 
solidating contiguous  cities  with  New  York  to 
make  a  Greater  New  York.  Andrew  H.  Green, 
father  of  the  movement,  was  made  president  of 
the  commission.  Mr.  Green  had  the  prescience 
to  foresee  the  Greater  City  as  far  back  as  1868, 
and  was  now,  twenty-two  years  later,  made  leader 
in  the  steps  needed  to  make  his  dreams  come  true. 
A  report  was  made  and  a  bill  to  create  the 
Greater  City  was  introduced  into  the  General  As- 
sembly in  1 892  but  it  failed  at  that  time  and 
several  other  acts  of  the  same  tenor  m  subsequent 
years  were  similarly  treated.  Finally  the  Greater 
New  York  Commission,  which  in  addition  to  Mr. 
Green  included  the  mayors  of  New  York,  Brook- 
lyn, and  Long  Island  City,  the  A.ttorney  General 
of  New  York,  the  State  Engineer  and  Surveyor 
and  nine  other  persons  appointed  by  the  governor, 
was  instructed  to  report  by  February  I,  1897,  a 
bill  which  should  comprise  a  charter  for  the 
Greater  City  and  a  plan  for  the  equitable  distri- 
bution of  taxation  over  the  city.  This  bill,  which 
passed  the  Legislature,  was  vetoed  by  Mayor 
Strong  but  was  subsequently  passed  over  his  veto 
on  April  13,  1897. 

The  Federal  census  of  New  York  in  1 890 
showed  a  population  of  1,515,301,  an  increase 
of  25.61  per  cent,  over  the  return  of  1,206,299 
in  1880.  In  finance  and  commerce  the  compara- 
tive importance  of  New  York  as  compared  with 
other  cities  was  considerably  greater  than  its  su- 
periority in  population. 

The  financial  prestige  of  New  York  has  made 
it  the  focus  of  movements  connected  with  improve- 
ments, or  new  policies  in  the  field  of  national 
finance  and  international  monetary  affairs.  On 
January  29,  1891,  the  Board  of  Trade  tendered 
to  Secretary  of  the  Treasury  William  Windom  a 
banquet  at  Delmonico's.  The  banqueters  were 
greatly  horrified  when,  just  as  he  had  completed 


a  brilliant  speech,  the  honored  guest  fell  dead,  a 
victim  of  apoplexy. 

Throughout  the  country  great  preparations  had 
been  made  for  a  proper  celebration  of  the  Quad- 
ricentennial  of  the  landing  of  Columbus  in  Amer- 
ica, October  12  1492.  In  1889  there  had 
been  a  meeting  held  in  the  Mayor's  office  at 
which  representatives  of  New  York  had  been 
selected  to  present  the  claims  of  New  York  to  be 
chosen  as  the  place  where  a  World's  Fair  should 
be  held.  But  several  cities  were  in  the  com- 
petition before  Congress  and  Chicago  was  chosen. 
New  York  did  not  let  the  four  hundredth  anni- 
versary pass  without  adequate  local  recognition. 
1  here  were  imposing  military  and  civic  ceremonies 
from  October  10  to  12,  1892.  The  Columbus 
column  and  statue  at  the  southwestern  entrance  to 
Central  Park  was  unveiled.  General  James  Grant 
Wilson  making  the  speech  of  acceptance  in  the 
absence  of  Mayor  Hugh  J.  Grant. 

Other  notable  events  of  the  year  1 892  were 
the  destruction  of  the  Fifth  Avenue  Theatre  by 
fire  in  January;  the  death  of  General  William 
Tecumseh  Sherman  in  this  city  on  February  1 4, 
and  the  imposing  funeral  ceremonies  for  the  hero 
of  Atlanta  on  February  1 9.  Ground  wa? 
broken  for  the  Grant  Monument  on  April  2 1  ; 
Carnegie  Music  Hall  was  opened  and  dedicated 
on  May  5th. 

George  Jones,  who  had  been  the  chief  owner 
of  The  New  York  Times,  died  on  August  12, 
I  89  I .  He  had  established  for  his  paper  a  high 
standard  and  had  made  it  a  power  for  good  in 
the  community.  The  Times  under  his  manage- 
ment had  taken  the  leading  and  most  potent  part 
in  unearthing  the  iniquities  and  devious  ways  of 
"Boss"  Tweed  and  his  "Ring"  and  bringing 
about  its  downfall. 

The  will  of  Samuel  Jones  Tilden,  lawyer  and 
statesman,  had  been  in  litigation  for  six  years. 
He  had  bequeathed  the  greater  part  of  his  fortune 


66 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


of  about  $5,000,000  to  philanthropic  uses, 
chiefly  for  the  establishment  and  endowment  of  a 
great  public  library  for  New  York.  But  his  nat- 
ural heirs  disputed  the  validity  of  the  will  and 
their  contention  was  finally  sustained  by  the  New 
York  Court  of  Appeals,  under  whose  decision 
only  about  two  million  dollars  was  set  aside  for 
the  establishing  of  the  Tilden  Foundation  of  the 
New  York  Public  Library,  since  combined  with 
the  Asfor  and  Lenox  bequests  in  the  "New  York 
Public  Library — Astor,  Lenox  and  Tilden  Founda- 
tions. " 

An  important  move  for  the  benefit  of  the  peo- 
ple of  New  York  was  made  when  the  trustees 
of  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  decided  to 
open  the  Museum  to  the  public  on  Sundays.  That 
the  decision  has  been  greatly  appreciated  by  the 
public  can  be  proved  to  the  satisfaction  of  any 
visitor  who  goes  to  the  Museum  on  a  Sunday  and 
sees  the  throngs  that  view  its  collections  on  that 
day. 

We  have  become  familiar  in  our  day  with  fast 
and  luxurious  train  service  but  rapid  transit  of  this 
modern  kind  began  in  1891.  On  September  14 
of  that  year  a  train  was  run  on  the  New  York 
Central  Railroad  from  New  York  to  East 
Buffalo.  436  miles,  in  426  minutes  running  time 
and  on  October  26  the  first  regular  Empire  State 
Express  made  the  run  from  New  York  to  Buffalo 
in  eight  hours  and  forty-two  minutes. 

There  was  a  cholera  scare  in  I  892  as  the  dis- 
ease had  been  prevalent  in  many  ports  with  which 
New  York  had  commerce.  The  United  States 
Government  on  September  1  declared  a  twenty- 
days'  quarantine  for  all  vessels  entering  the  port 
of  New  York.  There  was  one  death  from  the 
disease  on  September  I  3  but  the  city  was  declared 
free  from  it  on  September  1  9. 

Serious  labor  disturbances  at  Buffalo  threatened 
much  destruction  of  property,  and  Governor 
Flower  on  August  17,  1892,  ordered  the  Na- 
tional Guard  to  proceed  to  that  city  and  restore 
order,  which  was  effectively  done. 

The  most  notable  death  of  the  year  was  that 
of  Cyrus  West  Field  who  will  be  always  re- 
membered in  connection  with  the  laying  of  the 
first  Atlantic  cable,  in  which  adventure  his  faith 
and  patience  won  a  great  triumph  after  apparently 
hopeless  failures.  His  later  work  in  railway  de- 
velopment was  very  important,  especially  the  uni- 
fying and  developing  of  the  elevated  railroad  lines 
of  New  York.  He  resigned  from  the  presidency 
of  the  elevated  railways  and  also  that  of  the 
Wabash,  Saint  Louis  &  Pacific  Railway  when  he 
retired  from  active  participation  in  business,  in 
1880.  He  died  at  Ardsley.  New  York,  July 
2,   1892,  in  his  seventy-third  year. 

The  political  feature  of  the  year  was  the  vig- 
orous attack  upon  Tammany  by  Rev.  Dr.  Charles 
H.  Parkhurst  who  in  a  crusade  against  vice  in 
New  York  City  declared  that  the  evils  he  was 


fighting  were  encouraged  if  not  sanctioned  by  the 
city  officials  who.  he  declared  before  a  mass 
meeting  at  Cooper  Union,  were  "a  pack  of  ad- 
ministrative bloodhounds."  He  received  a  strong 
backing  in  his  vice  crusade  but  the  immediate  ef- 
fect upon  Tammany  was  not  very  strong  for 
Thomas  L.  Gilroy.  who  was  an  out-and-out  Tam- 
many man,  was  elected  Mayor  for  1893  and 
I  894.  But  the  crusade  continued  and  bore  fruit 
later. 

An  important  movement  of  this  period  was  the 
creation  of  the  American  Line  of  Transatlantic 
Steamers.  The  participation  of  American  vessels 
in  transatlantic  trade  had  practically  ceased  owing 
to  the  proscriptive  character  of  our  navigation  laws. 
Special  arrangements  were  made  during  the  ad- 
ministration of  Benjamin  Harrison  by  which  the 
American  Line  was  established  and  on  February 
22  President  Harrison  raised  the  American  flag 
over  the  Atlantic  liner  New  York,  inaugurating 
a  service  which  has  ever  since  continued. 

Although  there  were  quadricentennial  celebra- 
tions of  Columbus'  discovery  of  America  in 
October.  1892,  the  exact  date  being  October  12. 
the  World's  Columbian  Exposition  at  Chicago 
was  not  opened  until  the  following  spring,  bring- 
ing to  it  large  and  important  representations  of 
other  nations  and  particularly  of  Spain,  most  of 
whom  were  entertained  in  New  York  as  well 
as  in  the  exposition  city.  The  Duke  of  Veragua, 
lineal  descendant  of  Christopher  Columbus,  visited 
New  York  in  April,  1893.  He  had  been  sent 
over  by  the  King  of  Spain  as  the  representative  of 
that  country  to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
Many  receptions  were  tendered  him  by  the  munic- 
ipality, civic  organizations  and  prominent  society 
leaders,  and  the  Board  of  Aldermen  conferred 
upon  him  the  "freedom  of  the  city,"  a  rare  dis- 
tinction which  had  been  conferred  upon  only  about 
half  a  dozen  other  persons  in  the  entire  history  of 
the  city.  The  crowning  event  of  the  New  York 
celebration,  which  was  practically  the  official  pre- 
lude to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  was 
the  Grand  Naval  Review  of  April  27,  in  which 
not  only  the  best  ships  of  the  American  fleet  but 
also  squadrons  of  the  fleets  of  Great  Britain, 
France,  Spain,  Russia,  Italy,  Holland,  Brazil,  and 
Argentina  participated.  There  was  also  a  military 
parade  the  following  day.  In  May  came  another 
and  livelier  Spanish  visitor,  the  Princess  Eulalia, 
aunt  of  King  Alfonso,  who  represented  the  Royal 
family  of  Spain  and  was  received  with  appropriate 
honors. 

Denmark  did  not  let  the  festive  season  pass 
without  a  reminder  that  there  is  an  earlier  equally 
bold  claimant  to  America's  discovery  than  Chris- 
topher Columbus.  The  importance  of  Leif  Erick- 
scn's  exploit  was  suggested  by  the  "Viking"  ship 
which  came  into  New  York  harbor  on  June  I  7. 
1893.     It  received  a  warm  and  cordial  reception. 

Of  much  importance  to  New  York  City  was 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


67 


Battery  Place  in  1909. 


68 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


the  act  approved  and  signed  by  Governor  Mower. 
March  II,  1893,  authorizing  the  purchase  of 
Fire  Island  for  quarantine  purposes.  This  bill 
settled  an  old  subject  of  controversy  which  had 
been  a  great  obstruction  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
quarantine  service.  No  place  on  either  the  Long 
Island,  Staten  Island  or  New  Jersey  shores  of  the 
Lower  Bay  wanted  the  Quarantine  Station  with  its 
detention  camps  or  pest  houses  to  be  established  in 
its  neighborhood.  Therefore  the  authorization 
contained  in  this  bill  gave  great  relief  to  the  quar- 
antine authorities  who  by  its  provisions  acquired 
facilities  for  handling  quarantine  matters  which  up 
to  that  time  had  been  most  inadequately  attended 
to  by  means  of  floating  hospitals. 

Another  matter  of  much  interest  to  New  York 
was  a  decision  of  the  New  York  Court  of  Ap- 
peals to  the  effect  that  foreign  corporations  could 
buy  and  sell  real  estate  in  New  York.  This  de- 
cision affected  twenty-five  million  dollars'  worth  of 
real  estate. 

The  Sons  of  the  Revolution  have  done  most  ef- 
fective work  in  establishing  permanent  mementos 
of  the  events  and  heroes  of  the  Revolutionary 
period.  One  of  the  most  effective  and  artistic 
of  these  is  the  statue  of  Nathan  Hale,  the  work 
of  the  sculptor  MacMonnies,  erected  under  the 
auspices  of  that  organization  in  City  Hall  Park. 

Following  up  the  investigations  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Charles  H.  Parkhurst  charges  were  laid  before 
the  Legislature  asking  that  an  investigation  should 
be  made  into  the  Police  System  of  New  York 
City  to  discover  the  true  reason  why  such  a  toler- 
ant attitude  was  held  toward  vice  and  crime  in 
New  York.  Upon  deliberation  the  New  York 
Senate  appointed  Senator  Clarence  H.  Lexow 
chairman  of  a  committee  to  investigate  the  New 
York  City  Police.  The  committee  met  March  9, 
1 894,  and  continued  its  sessions  until  the  end  of 
June,  then  adjourned  until  September  10  and  after 
that  kept  up  an  almost  continuous  session  until 
December  29.  William  A.  Sutherland  was  coun- 
sel for  the  committee  until  April  1  3,  when  John 
W.  Goff  was  appointed  to  the  place.  The  in- 
vestigation was  very  thorough;  Captain  (later 
Inspector)  Schmittberger  presented  evidence  of 
many  irregularities.  Captain  Stevenson  was  con- 
victed of  receiving  a  bribe;  Captain  Creeden  ad- 
mitted that  he  had  paid  fifteen  thousand  dollars  for 
his  captaincy.  Evidence  of  much  crooked  police 
work  was  adduced  and  Captains  Stevenson,  Cross 
and  Dougherty  as  well  as  Chief  Devery  were  dis- 
missed from  the  service. 

The  evidence  before  the  Lexow  investigating 
committee  was  so  damaging  to  the  city  administra- 
tion that  in  November,  1895,  William  R.  Strong, 
candidate  of  a  fusion  of  Republicans  and  Inde- 
pendent Democrats,  was  readily  elected  over  the 
administration  candidate.  Mr.  Strong  was  the 
last  Mayor  of  the  City  of  New  York  before  the 
consolidation. 


In  the  realm  oi  sports  there  were  the  famous 
international  contests  entered  into  by  the  yachts 
of  Britain  and  America  for  the  trophy  now  known 
as  "the  America's  Cup"  but  originally  known  as 
"the  Queen's  Cup."  The  first  contest  in  which 
It  was  involved  was  upon  the  offer  of  the  Royal 
Yacht  Squadron  of  England,  when  it  was  won  in 
an  international  competition  by  the  schooner-yacht 
"America"  over  the  Cowes  (Isle  of  Wight) 
course  in  1851.  The  cup  then  won  has  remained 
with  the  New  York  Yacht  Club.  Challenge  con- 
tests have  been  raced  with  English  yacht  owners 
m  1870,  1871,  1876,  1881,  1886,  1893. 
1895,  1899,  1901  and  1903.  The  race  in 
1 886  was  won  by  the  Boston  sloop  Mayflower 
as  defender  of  the  cup  against  the  English  cutter 
Galatea  in  two  consecutive  races  over  the  Sandy 
Hook  course.  In  1 893  Lord  Dunraven  chal- 
lenged with  his  yacht  "Valkyrie"  II,  which  was 
defeated  by  the  American  yacht  "Vigilant."  In 
1895  Lord  Dunraven  again  challenged,  with  Val- 
kyrie III,  against  the  American  yacht  "Defender." 
He  was  defeated  in  the  first  race  but  won  the 
second.  He  was,  however,  deprived  of  his  victory 
because  of  a  foul.  Irate,  he  claimed  he  had  been 
cheated,  refused  to  race  again  and  charged  Amer- 
ican yachtmen  with  unsportsmanlike  conduct.  His 
complaints  were  dismissed  and  he  was  on  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1896,  expelled  from  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  under  the  auspices  of  which  the  race 
had  been  run.  The  challenger  in  1 899  was  Sir 
Thomas  Lipton,  the  well-known  English  merchant, 
with  Shamrock  I  against  the  American  yacht 
Columbia.  He  again  challenged  in  1901  with 
Shamrock  II,  against  the  Columbia,  and  in  1903 
with  Shamrock  III  against  the  American  yacht 
Reliance.  In  all  three  contests  the  "Shamrocks" 
were  ably  sailed,  but  the  American  vessels  were 
victors.  In  1914  Sir  Thomas  challenged  again 
with  his  yacht  Shamrock  IV.  which  arrived  in 
New  York  in  August.  Trials  had  previously 
been  sailed  for  selection  of  the  American  defender 
for  the  America's  Cup  between  the  yachts  De- 
fiance, Resolute  and  Vanatie.  But  the  European 
War  having  intervened  the  race  was  postponed 
until  1915,  and  it  was  then  put  off  until  after 
the  war,  when  Sir  Thomas  expects  to  renew  his 
challenge. 

The  State  of  New  York  was  the  first  to  in- 
stitute the  statutory  observance  of  Lincoln's  birth- 
day as  a  legal  holiday.  That  the  occasion  de- 
serves such  distinction  few  would  dispute  but  it  is 
somewhat  disturbing  to  business  to  have  two  legal 
holidays  in  a  short  month  and  there  might  be  some 
day  in  February  fixed  as  Washington  and  Lincoln 
Day  which  would  evolve  a  patriotic  fervor  much 
greater  than  the  somewhat  perfunctory  observance 
of  these  two  days  now  in  vogue.  Labor  Day  is 
not  so  objectionable  and  serves  a  useful  purpose  in 
putting  a  definite  end  to  the  vacation  period  on  a 
date  appropriate  for  the  opening  of  the  busy  fall 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


69 


The  Pulitzer  Building — New  York  World 


70 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


season.  Bui  we  have  also  Columbus  Day,  which 
the  late  1  imothy  D.  Sullivan  invented  for  the  de- 
lectation of  his  Italian  constituents  in  whom  the 
"fiesta"  habit  is  strongly  ingramed  and  which  since 
1910  has  been  a  legal  holiday  in  the  State  of 
New  York. 

The  Raines  Liquor  Law  went  on  the  statute 
book  when  Governor  Morton  signed  it  on  March 
23,  1896.  It  was  intended  as  a  compromise 
temperance  measure  to  remedy  some  of  the  evils 
of  the  liquor  traffic  which  it  did  in  a  few  par- 
ticulars, but  it  introduced  the  pernicious  Raines 
hotel  and  the  ridiculous  "Raines  sandwich"  with 
its  myriad  evasions  of  the  spirit  of  restrictive  con- 
trol of  illegal  sales  of  intoxicants. 

An  Electrical  Exposition  held  in  New  York 
in  May,  I  896,  afforded  opportunity  for  a  striking 
exemplification  of  the  progress  made  in  telegraphy, 
when  Chauncey  M.  Depew  on  May  I  6  transmitted 
a  message  around  the  world  in  four  minutes,  em- 
ploying power  from  Niagara  Falls. 

In  the  presidential  election  of  I  896  the  interest 
was  greater  than  in  any  previous  contest.  The 
question  most  at  issue  was  whether  there  should 
be  a  single  gold  standard  for  the  value  of  the 
national  coinage  and  currency  or  whether  there 
should  be  a  bi-metallic  standard,  with  free  coin- 
age of  silver  at  a  ratio  of  sixteen  to  one.  The 
arguments  were  heated  and  the  campaign  was 
strenuous  but  in  New  York  as  well  as  in  all  other 
great  commercial  centers  there  was  a  large  ma- 
jority for  the  gold  standard  idea.  Prominent  fea- 
tures were  made  in  New  York  and  all  other  great 
centers  of  what  were  called  Sound  Money  Parades 
formed  to  aid  the  election  of  the  Republican  can- 
didates, William  McKinley,  for  President,  and 
Garret  A.  Hobart  for  Vice-President.  The  same 
idea  was  used  with  success  in  1  900,  with  a  "Sound 
Money  Parade"  held  on  November  3,  three  days 
before  the  election,  which  was  even  larger  and 
more  imposing  than  that  of  1896  although  the 
currency  question  was  not  much  of  an  issue  in 
1900. 

In  1897  came  the  dedication  of  the  Grant 
Mausoleum  in  Riverside  Park,  on  April  27,  the 
seventy-fifth  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  General 
Ulysses  S.  Grant,  with  a  great  military  and  naval 
display.  Mrs.  Julia  Dent  Grant,  widow  of  the 
General,  died  December  14,  1902,  and  on  De- 
cember 2 1  her  body  was  entombed  in  the  great 
mausoleum,  beside  that  of  her  famous  husband. 

On  May  6,  1897,  an  interesting  ceremony  took 
place  in  Trinity  Church  in  commemoration  of  the 
bi-centennial  of  the  organization  of  that  famous 
parish. 

On  June  I  5  the  immigrant  buildings  at  Ellis  Is- 
land were  destroyed  by  fire.  On  May  25  the 
demolition  of  the  old  Tombs  Prison  began,  the 
structure  being  insufiicient  in  size  and  inconvenient 
in  facilities  for  the  handling  of  prisoners  in  ac- 
cordance with  modern  ideas. 


Charles  Anderson  Dana,  whose  fame  as  a  jour- 
nalist is  not  surpassed  by  any  other  American, 
died  at  his  home  near  Glen  Cove,  Long 
Island,  on  October  17,  1897,  at  the  age  of  78. 
In  brilliancy  of  intellect  and  in  the  technique  ol 
production  of  a  good  newspaper,  Mr.  Dana  out- 
shone any  of  his  contemporaries,  but  his  editorial 
work  though  scholarly  in  breadth  and  pungent  in 
expression  was  marred  by  prejudices  so  intense  and 
implacable  that  his  editorials  were  more  impressive 
than  convincing. 

The  Greater  New  York  project  which  had 
been  in  active  discussion  for  about  six  years  reached 
its  culmination  in  1  897,  the  bill  creating  and  char- 
tering il  being  approved  and  signed  by  Governor 
Black  on  May  5,  1897,  to  be  in  effect  January 
I,  1898.  It  provided  for  the  consolidation  with 
New  York  City  of  all  municipal  corporations  and 
parts  of  corporations  (other  than  counties)  within 
the  territory  covered  by  the  counties  of  Kings  and 
Richmond,  Long  Island  City,  the  towns  of  New- 
town, Flushing  and  Jamaica,  and  that  part  of 
Hempstead,  in  Queens  County,  west  of  a  line 
drawn  from  Flushing  between  Rockaway  Beach 
and  Shelter  Island,  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  It  left 
in  power  the  local  governments  within  these  towns, 
except  where  changed  by  the  Legislature,  and  pro- 
vided for  the  election  of  a  Mayor  of  Greater  New 
York  and  other  municipal  officers  of  the  Greater 
City  at  the  general  election  in  November,  1897. 

The  election  was  an  exciting  one.  It  was  hoped 
by  the  friends  of  municipal  reform  to  be  able  to 
present  a  united  front  against  Tammany,  and  the 
Citizens'  Union  put  up  Seth  Lo\v  with  that  in 
view,  but  strong  factors  in  the  Republican  Party 
thought  they  could  win  with  a  straight  partisan 
ticket  so  they  put  General  Benjamin  F.  Tracy  in 
the  race  for  Mayor.  To  further  complicate  the 
situation  Henry  George,  the  famous  single-tax  phil- 
osopher, was  put  in  nomination  on  what  was  named 
the  Jeffersonian  ticket.  Mr.  George  made  a  strong 
campaign,  so  strong  that  many  believed  he  would 
win  the  race,  but  he  died  suddenly  on  October  29, 
1897.  A  large  proportion  of  his  followers,  nor- 
mally Democratic,  returned  to  their  original  party 
allegiance  and  voted  for  Van  Wyck.  The  Jef- 
fersonian leaders  transferred  the  nomination  to 
Henry  George.  Jr.,  but  he  was  not  at  that  time 
well  enough  known  to  hold  what  was  at  best  a 
personal  following  and  Van  Wyck  was  elected  by 
a  total  vote  of  233,997  against  I  5  1 ,540  for  Low, 
101,903  for  Tracy,  22,031  for  Henry  George. 
Jr.,  14,132  for  Sanial,  Socialist  Labor  nominee, 
and  2,997  scattering. 

The  administration  of  Mayor  Strong  had  di- 
rected more  special  attention  to  reforms  in  the 
police  force,  which  was  during  the  first  part  of 
that  term  under  charge  of  Theodore  Roosevelt  as 
Police  Commissioner,  who  made  many  changes  in 
the  force.  Mr.  Roosevelt  left  that  office  to  be- 
came Assistant  Secretary  of  the  Navy  in  the  Mc- 


72 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


Kinlcy  administration.  One  of  the  lirst  things 
done  by  Mayor  Van  Wyck  in  the  way  of  change 
in  the  police  force  was  the  summary  dismissal  of 
Commissioners  Phillips  and  Hamilton  and  Chief  of 
Police  McCullagh.  on  May  21,  1898. 

When  the  Spanish-American  War  was  begun 
several  New  York  regiments  were  enlisted.  Dr. 
Leonard  Wood,  an  army  surgeon,  and  Theodore 
Roosevelt,  who  resigned  his  post  in  the  Navy  De- 
partment, organized  the  First  Regiment  of  United 
States  Volunteer  Cavalry  (known  as  the  "Rough 
Rider  Regiment")  with  Dr.  Wood  as  colonel  and 
Mr.  Roosevelt  as  lieutenant-colonel.  The  promo- 
tion of  Mr.  Roosevelt  to  the  rank  of  Colonel  for 
gallantry  at  Las  Guasimas  made  him  one  of  the 
outstanding  figures  of  the  short  war  in  Cuba.  Gen- 
eral Joseph  Wheeler,  Colonel  Roosevelt,  the  Rough 
Riders  and  the  Third  United  States  Cavalry 
landed  at  Montauk  Point,  Long  Island,  on  August 
15,  1898,  and  on  August  20  there  was  a  grand 
parade  of  Admiral  Sampson's  victorious  Santiago 
fleet.  On  September  8,  Admiral  Cervera,  who 
had  commanded  the  Spanish  fleet  destroyed  on 
July  3  by  a  part  of  Admiral  Sampson's  fleet  un- 
der command  of  Rear-Admiral  Winfield  Scott 
Schley,  arrived  in  New  York.  The  battleships 
Oregon  and  Iowa  sailed  from  New  York  for 
Manila  on  October  12,  1898. 

The  reputation  which  Colonel  Roosevelt  made 
in  Cuba  gave  him  a  popularity  of  which  the  Re- 
publican Party  in  New  York  availed  itself  by 
nominating  and  electing  him  in  November,  I  898, 
as  Governor  of  New  York. 

The  Strong  administration  did  no  more  impor 
tant  work  than  in  the  reform  it  worked  in  the  De- 
partment of  Street  Cleaning  and  had  no  more  val- 
uable asset  than  the  great  sanitary  engineer  by 
whom  this  revolution  was  brought  about.  Colonel 
George  Edwin  Waring.  He  had  gained  distinc- 
tion after  service  as  major  and  colonel  in  the 
Union  Army  in  the  Civil  War,  by  his  work  in 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  in  changing  it  after  the  yel- 
low fever  visitation  of  1878  from  one  of  the 
dirtiest  to  one  of  the  cleanest  cities  in  the  South, 
and  had  just  completed  similar  work  in  New  Or- 
leans when  he  was  called  to  New  York  after  the 
election  of  William  L.  Strong  as  Mayor  to  devise 
methods  to  revolutionize  the  municipal  street  clean- 
ing system  of  New  York.  Up  to  that  time  New- 
York  had  earned  and  deserved  the  reputation  of 
being  a  very  dirty  city.  The  reason  for  much  of  it 
was  the  rapid  opening  of  streets,  the  inferior  quality 
of  paving  and  the  difficulty  of  keeping  up  with  so 
much  new  work  in  a  rapidly  growing  city.  But 
there  had  always  been  as  a  stronger  cause  malad- 
ministration and  inefficient  methods  largely  due  to 
the  use  of  street  cleaning  work  as  a  factor  in 
ward  politics.  Colonel  Waring  reorganized  the 
force  of  street  cleaners,  weeding  out  incompetents 
and  systematizing  the  work.  He  put  the  workmen 
in  a  uniform  of  white,  secured  new  and  modern 


ec|uipment  and  cleaned  New  ^'ark,  a  task  that 
many  had  declared  to  be  impossible.  There  was 
strong  opposition  to  the  strenuous  and  effective  work 
done  by  Colonel  Waring  and  "Waring's  White 
Wings"  were  made  the  butt  of  many  a  joke  but 
the  triumph  of  his  achievement  was  complete.  He 
was  dismissed  soon  after  the  Van  Wyck  admin- 
istration came  in  and  was  appointed  October  2, 
1898,  to  report  on  the  sanitary  condition  of  Ha- 
vana. He  contracted  yellow  fever,  of  which  he 
died  a  few  days  after  his  return  to  the  United 
States,  an  October  29,  1898.  Besides  his  service 
as  a  public  sanitarian  he  is  distinguished  as  a  writer 
on  agriculture  and  sanitary  science. 

One  of  the  important  steps  toward  the  building 
up  of  a  rapid  transit  system  was  taken  by  the  in- 
troduction of  trolley  cars  to  cross  the  East  River 
Bridge  to  Brooklyn,  the  first  cars  crossing  on 
January  22,  1898. 

Chauncey  M.  Depew  was  elected  in  January, 
1  899,  to  the  Senate  of  the  United  States  and  was 
re-elected  in  1905,  serving  until  March  4.  191  L 
Mr.  Depew  was  long  president  and  is  now  chair- 
man of  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  York 
Central  System  and  at  the  age  of  83  is  still 
(1917)  active  as  one  of  New  York's  famous  citi- 
zens, and  especially  renowned  for  his  oratory. 

There  was  a  disastrous  fire  with  great  loss  of 
life  and  destruction  of  the  Windsor  Hotel  on 
March  17,  1899. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York  has 
entertained  many  prominent  visitors.  On  February 
24  Rear-Admiral  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  R.  N., 
addressed  that  body. 

Admiral  Dewey  arrived  in  New  York  harbor 
on  September  26,  1899,  from  Manila,  and  on 
September  29  there  was  a  great  naval  parade  in 
his  honor.  The  following  day  there  was  a  huge 
land  parade  in  which  many  military  and  civic  or- 
ganizations participated;  and  one  of  the  greatest 
outpourings  of  the  people  crowded  the  avenues 
along  the  route. 

Among  the  more  notable  New  Yorkers  who 
died  in  1 899  were  Roswell  P.  Flower,  financier 
and  ex-governor  of  New  York  w  ho  died  May  1  2  ; 
and  Cornelius  Vanderbilt,  grandson  of  "Com- 
modore" Cornelius  Vanderbilt  and  chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railroad.  He  was  a  man  of  important  civic  influ- 
ence and  generous  philanthropies,  besides  his  posi- 
tion as  a  commanding  figure  in  the  railroad  world. 

Andrew  Carnegie  after  becoming  a  citizen  of 
New  York  became  identified  with  important  local 
philanthropies,  notably  in  his  gift  of  $300,000  to 
found  a  day  school  in  connection  with  Coopei 
Union  in  1900;  and  his  gift  of  $5,200,000  of- 
fered in  1901  to  build  sixty-five  branch  libraries 
in  New  York  City  provided  that  the  city  should 
furnish  sites  and  maintenance.  This  generous  gift 
has  had  the  effect  to  greatly  widen  the  scope  of 
usefulness  of  the  New-  York  Public  Library. 


74 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


John  D.  Kockclellei  iias  also  been  generous  in 
his  benefactions  to  local  institutions.  He  gave 
$100,000  in  1900  to  Columbia  University  to 
found  a  chair  of  psychology,  and  in  1901  he 
made  his  proposition  to  establish  in  New  York  the 
Rockefeller  Institute  for  Medical  Research.  He 
purchased  a  site  for  the  Institute  on  February  5, 
1903,  and  it  has  since  been  fully  established  with 
a  staff  of  great  eminence  and  has  been  the  medium 
of  great  advance  in  pathology  and  medical  scienct- 
generally. 

Another  very  important  local  benefaction  was 
made  in  1901  in  the  will  of  Jacob  S.  Rogers,  a 
Paterson  (New  Jersey)  manufacturer  of  locomo- 
tives, which  bequeathed  his  entire  estate,  appraised 
at  five  million  dollars,  to  the  Metropolitan  Museum 
of  Art.  The  bequest  was  confirmed  by  the 
courts  in  January,  1903. 

"Rapid  transit"  had  been  the  slogan  of  progress 
for  New  York  for  many  years,  but  it  \vas  slow 
in  coming.  A  cheering  word  came  in  the  news  of 
the  award  on  January  16.  1900.  to  J.  B.  Mc- 
Donald of  the  contract  for  the  construction  of  the 
New  York  Rapid  Transit  Tunnel  from  City  Hall 
to  One  Hundred  and  Forty-seventh  Street.  1  he 
contract  was  signed  February  24  and  on  March 
24,  1900.  ground  was  broken  for  the  tunnel  in 
City  Hall  Park  by  Mayor  Van  Wyck  with  a 
silver  spade  in  the  presence  of  twenty  thousand 
people.  After  that  the  work  was  continuous  save 
for  interruption  by  occasional  strikes  and  some 
accidents.  On  January  27.  1902,  there  was  a 
dynamite  explosion  in  the  tunnel  at  Park  Avenue 
and  Forty-first  Street  as  a  result  of  which  many 
persons  were  killed  and  much  property  destroyed. 
The  contract  time  for  the  completion  of  the  road 
on  this  original  part  of  the  subway  was  four  years 
and  a  half  and  this  was  only  exceeded  by  one 
month  and  two  days,  the  road  being  opened  from 
City  Hall  to  One  Hundred  and  Forty-seventh 
Street  on  October  27.  1904.  Mayor  McClellan 
running  the  first  train  from  City  Hall  Station,  af- 
ter which  the  road  was  opened  to  the  public.  On 
that  same  day  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  per- 
sons rode  over  the  rails  between  7  a.  m.  and  mid- 
night. A  continuous  policy  of  extension  followed. 
The  Broadway  line  was  extended  to  the  Yonkers 
boundary ;  a  line  on  Lenox  Avenue  was  branched 
off  to  One  Hundred  and  Forty-fifth  Street,  and 
from  that  at  One  Hundred  and  Fhirty-fifth  Street 
the  Bronx  branch  tunneled  under  the  Harlem  River 
to  a  point  beyond  One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth 
Street  where  it  rises  above  the  surface  and  con- 
tinues as  an  elevated  road  to  Bronx  Park.  South 
of  Brooklyn  bridge  the  subway  was  extended  to 
South  Ferry  Station,  and  between  that  station  and 
the  Bowling  Green  Station  a  branch  turns  off  into 
a  tunnel  under  the  East  River  to  Brooklyn  and  in 
that  city  as  far  as  Atlantic  Avenue  and  the  ter- 
minus of  the  Long  Island  Railroad. 

There  was  a  New  York  Charter  Revision  bill 


passed  by  the  General  Assembly  in  1901.  It  was 
vetoed  by  Mayor  Van  Wyck  but  on  April  22  it 
was  passed  over  his  veto.  It  was  intended  to  mend 
some  inadequacies  of  the  original  charter  of  Greater 
New  York  bill.  A  Police  Commission  bill  vetoed 
by  Mayor  Van  Wyck  on  the  ground  that  the 
clause  giving  the  governor  power  to  remove  the 
Commissioners  was  unconstitutional  was  passed 
over  his  veto  and  approved  and  signed  by  Governor 
Odell,  February  20.  Another  New  York  bill, 
passed  and  signed  by  the  Governor  on  March  1  3. 
established  a  bi-partisan  Bureau  of  Elections  for 
New  York  City. 

The  establishing  of  a  Hall  of  Fame  on  the 
ground  of  the  New  York  University,  which  was 
opened  May  20,  1901,  attracted  widespread  in- 
terest and  national  attention. 

The  Van  Wyck  administration  was  severely 
attacked  lor  intense  partisanship  and  inefficiency 
and  many  powerful  elements  combined  in  a  de- 
mand for  a  reform  administration.  A  successful 
fusion  of  these  elements  chose  Seth  Low,  President 
of  Columbia  University,  as  its  candidate  against 
Edwin  M.  Shepard,  the  Democratic  candidate, 
backed  by  Tammany.  Mr.  Low,  who  in  former 
years  had  been  an  efficient  mayor  of  Brooklyn,  re- 
ceived a  large  majority  in  that  borough  and  a 
small  one  in  each  of  the  others,  and  the  other 
fusion  candidates  were  also  elected  with  him,  all 
taking  office  January  I,  1902,  for  two  year 
terms. 

New  York  was  called  to  entertain  royalty  again 
in  1 902  when  Prince  Henry  of  Prussia,  brother 
of  Kaiser  Wilhelm.  came  to  take  part  in  the  cere- 
monies connected  with  the  launching  of  the 
Kaiser's  yacht  "Meteor,"  which  had  been  built 
here.  The  yacht  was  christened  by  Miss  Alice 
Roosevelt,  daughter  of  the  President.  There  were 
other  prominent  functions  connected  with  the 
Prince's  stay  from  February  21  to  March  15,  one 
of  which  was,  known  as  the  "Captains  of  Industry 
Dinner."  to  which  the  late  J.  Pierpont  Morgan 
invited  one  hundred  of  the  largest  capitalists  and 
heads  of  great  industries  to  meet  the  Prince. 

A  delegation  of  French  notables  who  had  come 
to  the  United  States  to  attend  the  unveiling  of  the 
Rochambeau  statue  at  Washington  on  May  22. 
was  received  in  New  York  by  a  great  military 
parade  and  dined  by  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati. 

William  S.  Devery.  whose  summary  dismissal 
as  Chief  of  Police  had  been  one  of  the  results  of 
the  Lexow  Investigation  in  1895,  had  brought 
suit  for  reinstatement.  The  case  was  in  the  courts 
for  some  years  and  was  finally  decided  against 
Devery  on  January  6.  1903,  by  the  New  York 
Court  of  Appeals. 

The  mayoralty  campaign  of  I  903  was  between 
Mayor  Low  as  nominee  of  Republican  and  Citi- 
zens' Union  conventions  and  George  Brinton  Mc- 
Clellan, son  of  the  famous  Union  general  of  the 
same  name,  as  the  Democratic  candidate.  Mr. 


Ferry  Boat  Passengers 


In  Chinatown 


76 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


McClellan  was  elected  by  more  than  60,000 
majority  at  the  election  on  November  3. 

The  city  was  greatly  shocked  ten  days  later 
when  Andrew  Haswell  Green,  justly  designated  as 
the  "father  of  Greater  New  York,"  was  shot  and 
killed  by  a  negro. 

One  of  the  notable  events  of  1904  was  the 
completion  on  March  1  1  of  one  of  the  tunnels  un- 
der the  Hudson  between  New  York  and  New 
Jersey. 

The  year  also  produced  one  of  the  worst  hor- 
rors in  the  history  of  New  York  when,  on  June 
15,  1904,  the  excursion  steamer  General  Slocum. 
having  on  board  a  picnic  for  a  large  Lutheran 
Sunday  School,  was  burned  in  the  East  River. 
More  than  one  thousand  persons,  chiefly  women 
and  children,  were  lost.  Investigation  showed 
criminal  carelessness,  or  worse,  in  failure  to  pro- 
vide the  commonest  precautions.  I  he  life  belts 
were  deficient  in  number  if  they  had  been  good, 
but  those  that  were  provided  were  found  useless 
as  they  would  not  float.  The  captain  was  tried 
and  sent  to  prison  for  a  term  of  years. 

The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art  on  January 
2,  1905,  chose  Sir  Caspar  Purdan  Clarke,  art 
director  of  the  South  Kensington  Museum  in  Lon- 
don, as  its  art  director.  He  did  a  valuable  work 
in  organizing  and  co-ordinating  the  collections  and 
continued  at  the  head  of  the  museum  until  his 
death  on  March  29,  1911. 

A  Thomas  F.  Ryan  syndicate  bought  the  Hyde 
stock  in  the  Equitable  Life  Assurance  Society  of 
the  United  States  on  June  9,  1905,  and  Paul 
Morton  was  elected  President  of  the  Society.  This 
was  the  first  of  a  series  of  changes  which  took 
place  in  the  management  of  the  great  life  insurance 
organizations.  A  legislative  committee,  known 
as  the  Armstrong  Insurance  Commission,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  General  Assembly  of  New  York 
and  on  September  6,  1905,  began  with  the  Equi- 
table its  investigation  of  the  various  life  insurance 
companies.  With  the  valuable  aid  of  Charles 
Evans  Hughes,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  New  York 
bar,  the  commission  uncovered  many  grossly  un- 
sound methods,  extortionate  salaries  and  gratuities, 
nepotism  and  illegal  practices.  Many  officials 
were  forced  to  resign  and  the  Legislature  on  re- 
ceiving the  reports  of  the  Commission  in  I  906  en- 
acted laws  to  penalize  many  practices  which  had 
been  revealed  by  the  investigation. 

A  three-cornered  fight  for  the  mayoralty  de- 
veloped in  1905  when  George  B.  McClellan  was 
renominated  on  the  Democratic  ticket  and  William 
M.  Ivins  on  the  Republican  ticket.  William  Ran- 
dolph Hearst,  who  had  organized  what  he  called 
a  Municipal  Ownership  League,  became  its  candi- 
date for  Mayor  and  made  a  surprising  run.  He 
carried  Brooklyn  by  a  large  and  Queens  by  a 
small  majority,  while  McClellan  carried  Manhat- 
tan, Bronx  and  Richmond  boroughs.  Mr.  Mc- 
Clellan was  certified  as  elected,  but  Mr.  Hearst 


claimed  that  lie  had  been  ele:ted  and  defrauded 
in  the  count.  His  paper  reeked  with  denunciation 
of  Mr.  McClellan  as  a  fraudulent  Mayor.  The 
contest  in  the  courts  dragged  along  for  over  two 
years  but  the  result  showed  that  on  the  recount  Mr. 
McClellan  had  been  elected  by  a  plurality  of 
2,791  though  that  was  863  less  of  a  majority 
than  had  been  found  in  the  official  returns. 

Mr.  Hearst  changed  the  name  of  his  party  to 
the  "Independence  League"  and  obtained  the 
Tammany  nommation  for  governor  of  New  York 
as  well  as  that  of  his  own  organization.  The  Re- 
publicans nominated  Charles  Evans  Hughes,  who 
was  elected  by  a  plurality  of  nearly  fifty-eight 
thousand  votes. 

In  November,  1905.  New  York  was  treated 
to  a  sight  of  a  British  squadron,  commanded  by 
Admiral  Prince  Louis  of  Batlenberg.  which  paid 
a  friendly  visit  to  our  harbor. 

During  the  year  1 906  occurred  the  murder  of 
Stanford  White,  famous  architect,  by  Harry  K. 
Thaw  in  the  Madison  Square  Roof  Garden.  He 
was  acquitted  on  the  ground  of  insanity  and  sent 
to  the  Asylum  for  the  Criminal  Insane  at  Mattea- 
wan.  His  many  endeavors  to  get  discharged  from 
the  asylum  costing  vast  sums  of  money  were  all 
failures  until  he  escaped  from  the  asylum  and 
finally  was  brought  back.  He  was  tried  and  dis- 
charged as  cured  though  the  most  famous  alienists 
declared  him  incurably  insane,  but  in  1916  he  was 
about  to  be  arrested,  charged  with  another  crime, 
but  himself  secured  his  reincarceration  as  irsane  in 
Pennsylvania  to  save  him  from  extradition  to  New 
York. 

Casualties  early  in  1907  were  the  sinking  on 
February  1  1  of  the  Joy  Line  steamer  Larchmont 
in  Long  Island  Sound  and  the  drowning  of  more 
than  one  hundred  people;  and  an  accident  on  the 
New  York  Central  road  at  Williamsbridge  in 
which  twenty  were  killed  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  injured. 

On  March  12,  1907,  Mrs.  Russell  Sage 
created  the  Sage  Foundation  with  ten  million  dol- 
lars for  philanthropic  work. 

The  passage  on  June  6,  1907,  of  a  bill  creat- 
ing the  Public  Service  Commission  to  have  su- 
pervisory and  regulatory  control  over  railroads  ha? 
brought  about  numerous  reforms  in  comneclion  with 
operation  of  street  railroads,  subways  and  elevated 
roads  in  New  York  City;  and  a  subsequent  law 
extending  this  control  over  telephone  companies  has 
brought  similar  results  in  that  field. 

On  August  7,  1907,  the  north  tube  of  the 
Belmont  Tunnel  from  Forty-second  Street  to  Long 
Island  City  was  opened  with  a  parade  through  it 
by  two  thousand  workmen.  It  was  about  seven 
years  after  this,  however,  before  that  tunnel  went 
into  active  use  in  connection  with  the  subway 
system. 

The  arrival  of  the  Lusitania,  of  the  Cunard 
Line,  this  being  the  largest  steamer  ever  built  up  to 


NEIV    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


77 


that  time,  was  a  sensation.  She  arrived  on  Sep- 
tember 1  3  and  she  and  her  sister  ship  the  Mauri- 
tania plied  steadily  to  New  York  until  the  war 
came.  Then  the  Lusitania  was  torpedoed  with- 
out warning  and  about  a  thousand  people,  largely 
women  and  children,  were  drowned.  The  Mauri- 
tania has  been  steadily  engaged  in  transport  serv- 
ice for  the  British  Government. 

The  first  regular  wireless  dispatch  over  the  At- 
lantic Ocean  for  commercial  purposes  was  received 
in  New  York  on  October  17,  1907. 

The  East  River  Tunnel,  extending  subway  traf- 
fic from  Manhattan  to  Brooklyn,  was  opened  up  on 
January  9,   1903;  and  on  February  25  the  hrst 


had  been  received  with  great  enthusiasm.  He  came 
thence  to  New  York.  Here  he  received  a  refusing 
welcome,  was  presented  with  the  freedom  of  the 
cily  and  much  lionized.  Afterward  great  doubt 
was  cast  on  the  genuineness  of  Cook's  discovery 
and  when  his  so-called  "proofs  '  were  submitted 
to  the  University  of  Copenhagen  they  were  found 
to  be  entirely  insufficient  to  establish  his  conten- 
tion. Commander  Peary  established  his  claim 
completely  and  gained  the  recognition  of  the  scien- 
tific world  as  the  first  discoverer  of  the  North 
Pole. 

The  contest  for  Maycn-  in  1 909  was  again 
three-sided.     Judge  William  J.  Gaynor  of  Brook- 


IT  ■  -rrr  "Tr- ft?: 


fl  I!  >' 


New  York  Custom  House 


of  the  Hudson  and  Manhattan  or  so-called  "Mc- 
Adoo"  tunnels  between  New  York  and  New  Jer- 
sey were  put  into  commission.  Another  important 
link  in  transportation  was  the  opening  up  on  March 
I  3,  1 909,  of  the  Queensborough  Bridge  connect- 
ing New  York,  at  Fifty-ninth  Street,  with  Long 
Island  City. 

The  claim  of  Dr.  Frederick  E.  Cook  to  have 
been  the  discoverer  of  the  North  Pole  created  a 
sensation.  He  had  telegraphed  the  news  from  the 
Orkneys  on  September  I  and  on  September  6 
Commander  Peary  telegraphed  from  Indian  Har 
bor.  Labrador,  that  he  had  discovered  the  North 
Pole.     Dr.  Cook  had  landed  in  Copenhagen  and 


lyn  was  the  Democratic  candidate;  Otto  H.  Ban- 
nard.  President  of  the  New  York  Trust  Company, 
was  the  Fusion  nominee,  and  William  Randolph 
Hearst  ran  on  the  Independence  League  ticket. 
Judge  Gaynor  received  over  250,000  votes,  Ban- 
nard  more  than  177,000  and  Hearst  over  104,- 
000.  Judge  Gaynor  was  elected  Mayor,  but  the 
Fusion  candidates  for  the  other  city  offices  were 
successful. 

The  Hudson-Fulton  celebration  from  Septem- 
ber 25  to  October  9,  1909,  was  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  scenes  of  pageantry  that  the  world  ever 
witnessed.  The  opening  display  of  vessels  was 
the  most  diversified  ever  gathered  together  in  the 


78 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


world.  fclxact  reproductions  ol  Hudson's  Hall- 
Moon  and  of  Fullon's  Clermont  led  the  line.  The 
American  fleet  under  command  of  Rear  Admiral 
Seaton  Schroeder;  the  British  Inflexible,  Drake. 
Duke  of  Edinburgh  and  Black  Prince;  the  Ger- 
man Bertha,  Bremen,  Dresden,  and  Viktoria 
Luise;  and  warships  of  France,  Italy,  Holland, 
Mexico  and  Argentina  were  anchored  at  regular 
intervals  from  Forty-second  Street  to  Spuyten  Duy- 
\il  and  above.  More  than  a  thousand  other  ves- 
sels took  part  in  the  parade  on  the  Hudson,  which 
formed  at  about  one  o'clock  and  continued  until 
dark  on  Saturday,  September  25.  Various  pa- 
rades and  pageants  filled  the  entire  time,  making 
a  series  of  spectacles  rarely  if  ever  equalled.  The 
illumination,  the  decorations  and  all  the  activities 
were  upon  a  scale  adequate  to  the  celebration  of 
three  hundred  years  of  New  York  and  one  hun- 
dred years  of  steam  navigation. 

A  public  reception  of  Colonel  Roosevelt  was 
the  most  stirring  event  of  1910  and  was  one  of 
the  most  enthusiastic  of  the  ovations  which  have 
been  crowded  into  the  life  of  this  popular  Amer- 
ican. 

The  dedication  of  St.  Patrick's  Cathedral 
by  Archbishop  Farley,  with  Cardinals  Vanutelli 
and  Satolli  and  many  other  dignitaries  in  attend 
ance,  crowded  the  great  structure  on  October  5, 
1910. 

On  August  9,  1910,  Mayor  Gaynor  was  in 
Hoboken  and  had  gone  on  board  a  vessel  to  leave 
for  a  vacation,  when  he  was  shot  at  by  a  dis- 
charged dock  employe  who  had  trailed  him  there. 
The  Mayor  was  probably  saved  from  a  second 
shot  by  William  H.  Edwards,  Street  Cleaning 
Commissioner,  who  had  accompanied  him  to  the 
vessel  and  who  promptly  knocked  down  the  as- 
sailant. The  Mayor  had  his  wound  attended  to 
and  spent  some  weeks  in  a  hospital  in  Hoboken. 
His  assailant  went  to  the  New  Jersey  penitentiary. 

The  appalling  Titanic  disaster,  which  occurred 
on  Sunday,  April  14,  1912,  horrified  the  people 
of  New  York.  The  vessel,  the  largest  then  afloat, 
was  on  her  maiden  voyage  from  Liverpool  to 
New  York  when  she  collided  with  an  iceberg  and 
1,503  of  the  2,206  persons  on  board  the  vessel 
perished.  Many  of  the  victims  were  New  Yorkers, 
including  among  the  most  prominent  Colonel  John 
Jacob  Astor,  Henry  B.  Harris,  theatrical  manager, 
Francis  D.  Millet,  the  artist,  and  Isidor  Straus, 
merchant.  Efficient  work  was  done  for  the  re- 
lief of  survivors  when  ihey  arrived. 

One  of  the  city's  largest  fires  occurred  on  Jan- 
uary 3,  1912,  when  the  Equitable  Life  Building 
at  1 20  Broadway  was  totally  destroyed. 

The  election  of  President  in  1912  was  one  of 
the  most  exciting  in  history.  The  Progressive 
Party  was  organized  to  give  Colonel  Roosevelt  an- 
other term  as  President.  He  made  a  vigorous 
campaign  and  so  thoroughly  dfsmembered  the  Re- 
publican Party  for  the  time  being  that  Governor 


Woodrow  W  ilson  ol  Ncu  Jersey  was  elected 
president  by  a  very  substantial  plurality. 

On  March  31  John  Pierpont  Morgan,  the  fore- 
most banker  and  financier  of  this  country,  died. 
His  had  been  the  most  potent  voice  in  the  finan- 
cial councils  of  the  nation. 

The  four-year  term  of  Mayor  Gaynor  having 
expired  the  question  of  a  successor  became  of  great 
importance.  Many  progressive  things  had  been 
done  during  his  term  but  not  chiefly  by  Mayor 
Gaynor.  In  the  contest  of  1 909  there  had  been 
three  candidates  for  Mayor,  but  only  two  for  the 
other  elective  offices.  As  to  them  it  was  a 
straight  fight  between  Tammany  and  Fusion,  and 
Fusion  won.  Under  the  present  organization  of  the 
government  of  New  York  the  majority  of  the 
Board  of  Estimate  and  Apportionment  is  the  chief 
factor  in  many  important  policies.  Fusion  leaders 
wished  to  continue  the  other  officials  but  to  put 
some  one  else  in  place  of  Gaynor.  So  Gaynor  re- 
ceived the  nomination  of  Tammany  for  Mayor, 
and  Fusion  sought  to  put  the  office  in  the  hands 
of  one  of  the  other  members  of  the  Board  of  Es- 
timate, and  the  choice  fell  on  John  Purroy  Mit- 
chel  who  had  been  President  of  the  Board  of 
Aldermen.  Mayor  Gaynor  sailed  for  Europe  on 
the  Baltic  on  September  4.  On  September  10 
he  died  on  the  steamer.  Later  his  body  was 
brought  back  to  New  York  and  laid  in  state  in 
the  City  Hall  for  a  day  before  being  buried.  John 
A.  McCall,  who  had  been  a  judge  of  the  Su- 
preme Court,  was  Gaynor's  successor  as  Tammany 
candidate  and  after  a  fierce  campaign  was  beaten 
by  Mitchel. 

The  death  of  Benjamin  Altman,  one  of  the 
great  merchants  of  New  York,  occurred  on  Oc- 
tober 14,  1913.  His  will  left  his  art  treasures 
valued  at  fifteen  million  dollars  to  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art. 

In  the  late  winter  of  1913-1914  a  band  of  dis- 
turbers led  by  Frank  Tannenbaum  and  claiming 
membership  in  the  Industrial  Workers  of  the 
World  took  to  visiting  churches  and  demanding 
food  and  lodging.  They  did  not  want  work  ex- 
cept at  union  wages  and  they  did  not  want  to 
work  in  clearing  the  snow  which  then  cluttered  the 
streets.  Finally  they  went  to  St.  Alphonsus 
Church  (Catholic)  on  March  4.  1914,  and  raised 
a  disturbance.  They  were  arrested  and  some  of 
them  received  minor  punishments,  but  Tannenbaum 
was  sentenced  to  a  year  in  prison. 

On  May  19  Colonel  Roosevelt  returned  from  a 
tour  of  exploration  in  Brazil  and  was  given  a  cor- 
dial reception. 

The  American  liner  Vaderland  arrived  in  New 
York  from  Germany  on  her  maiden  voyage.  She 
had  made  only  two  more  voyages  before  she  was 
interned  in  New  York  by  the  war.  With  the  be- 
ginning of  war  in  Europe  the  Stock  Exchange, 
Cotton  Exchange  and  Produce  Exchange  closed 
on  July  30.    1914.       The  Stock  Exchange  re- 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


79 


80 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


mained  closed  until  November  28.  1  o  prevent 
aliens  from  making  withdrawals  from  savings  banks, 
private  banking  institutions  and  savings  and  loan 
associations,  the  State  Superintendent  of  Banks 
of  New  York  ordered  the  banks  to  require  sixty 
days'  notice  of  withdrawal.  The  Clearing  House 
voted  for  using  Clearing  House  certificates  to  pre- 
vent a  raid  upon  the  gold  supply  of  the  United 
States.  The  fact  of  the  passage  of  the  Federal 
Reserve  Bank  law  stabilized  business  conditions 
so  that  there  was  no  panic  at  the  time  strenuous 
moves  were  taken  to  prevent  disastrous  dumping 
of  securities. 

An  interesting  event  which  occurred  January  1  5, 
1915,  illustrates  the  great  progress  that  has  been 
made  in  telephony.  On  that  day  Alexander  Gra- 
ham Bell  in  New  York  entered  into  the  first  con- 
versation across  the  continent,  talking  through  the 
telephone  to  1  homas  W.  Watson  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. 

The  events  of  the  past  two  years  are  too  recent 
to  be  collated  as  history.  The  outstanding  trend 
IS  concentration  on  the  problems  of  war;  rising 
prices  on  the  markets;  movements  in  State  and 
Nation  to  halt  extortions  in  prices  of  necessaries; 
strikes  in  various  industries,  notably  two  or  there 
among  carmen  in  1916. 

Progress  is  still  being  made.  The  rapid  transit 
problem  will  make  a  great  stride  toward  settle- 
ment with  the  vast  additions  to  subway  and  eleva- 
ted lines,  covering  all  boroughs,  now  rapidly  ap- 
proaching completion. 

The  water  supply  problem  which  was  so  press- 
ing a  few  years  ago  is  now  near  a  solution  so  ade- 
quate that  it  will  take  several  decades  of  New 
York's  growth  before  the  city  will  be  compelled  to 
go  farther  afield  for  its  drinking  water.  The 
great  Catskill  project,  far  transcending  in  its  mag- 


nitude as  an  engineering  feat  the  building  of  the 
Panama  Canal,  is  near  its  final  and  complete  util- 
ization. The  old  reservoir  in  Central  Park  is  to 
be  converted  to  use  as  a  place  of  beauty,  probably 
a  sunken  garden  with  a  replica  in  bronze  of  that 
beautiful  fountain  by  MacMonnies,  which  stood  in 
the  Lagoon  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
in  Chicago  in  1 893  and  was  the  artistic  gem  of 
that  famous  "White  City."  An  audience  place 
for  the  popular  band  concerts  in  keeping  with 
these  artistic  surroundings  is  also  in  the  plans  for 
this  improvement. 

The  old  Tweed  Court-House,  outgrown  and 
unsanitary,  is  to  be  replaced  by  one  in  keeping 
with  the  dignity  and  grandeur  of  the  world  me- 
tropolis that  New  York  is  so  soon  to  be. 

It  is  a  far  cry  from  the  squat  little  Liberty 
1  avern  at  Broadway  and  Park  Place  that  was 
one  of  the  city's  chief  attractions  in  1795,  to  the 
towering  Woolworth  Building,  most  skyscraping  of 
the  world's  structures  and  combining  in  a  unique 
way  colossal  height  with  architectural  beauty.  It 
is  a  long  distance  from  the  dirt  roads,  except 
for  a  few  yards  of  exceptional  cobbles,  which  rep- 
resented all  the  street  paving  of  I  795,  to  clean 
and  well-surfaced  streets  (except  for  occasional 
lapses  to  accommodate  the  subway-building  ty- 
rants) which  represent  the  New  York  of  today. 
It  is  centuries  rather  than  decades  which  would 
normally  represent  the  advance  from  the  Collect 
Pond  and  Tea-water  Pump  of  a  century  ago  to 
the  great  Catskill  Water  System  of  the  present  year. 

We  have  our  problems  and  demerits,  but  they 
are  such  as  represent  a  growth  and  advancement 
such  as  no  other  city  has  had  to  be  responsible 
for.  It  is  a  great  and  wonderful  city  and  its  w^el- 
fare  calls  for  the  preserving  care  of  citizens  who 
love  it  and  are  proud  of  it. 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 


New  York  as  a  Financial  Metropolis 


Early  Coins  and  Currencies — The  Banks,  Exchanges  and  Activities  of  the 
Financial  District — The  Insurance  Companies  of  New  York. 


NEW  YORK  has  long  established  pre-eminence 
among  American  cities  as  the  financial  capital 
and  money  market  of  the  United  States.  This 
precedence  did  not  always  exist.     Until  the  Nine- 
teenth Century  dawned,  Philadelphia  and  Boston 
were  strong  rivals  for  financial  mastery. 

Under  the  Colonial  regime  financial  and  com- 
mercial transactions  were  hampered  by  lack  of  a 
stable  currency.  The  Netherlands  first,  and 
Britain  later,  exhibited  great  jealousy  of  the  coin- 
ing privilege  which  was  steadily  denied  to  New 
York.  The  current  money  in  the  Colonies  con- 
sisted of  various  foreign  coins  of  which  the  value 
in  terms  of  sterling  was  fixed  by  statute,  which 
might  have  worked  well  enough  if  the  various 
colonies  had  come  to  the  same  conclusion  in  re- 
gard to  their  value.  An  act  of  Parliament  passed 
in  1  704  provided  that  in  the  royal  provinces,  after 
January  I,  1705,  no  "Seville,  Pillar  or  Mexican" 
dollar  should  pass  for  over  six  shillings,  current 
money,  and  that  'Peru  pieces,  dollars  or  other  for- 
eign silver  coin  of  whatever  weight  or  alloy  should 
be  regulated  according  to  weight  and  fineness  in 
proportion  to  the  rate  fixed  for  the  Seville  pieces. 
As  this  law  did  not  apply  to  the  proprietary  Col- 
onies, Pennsylvania,  which  rated  the  Seville  dol- 
lar at  seven  shillings  sixpence,  and  lighter  money 
in  proportion,  soon  drained  New  York  of  its  coins. 
Lord  Cornbury's  statements  in  regard  to  this  con- 
dition reaching  London,  the  act  was  suspended 
and  trade  revived.  Various  attempts  at  regulating 
the  exchange  value  of  the  great  variety  of  coins 
used  in  New  York,  by  Act  of  the  Parliament  in 
London,  were  made  but  they  were  rarely  found 
workable  without  loss  and  were  often  violated. 
The  clipping  and  filing  of  foreign  coins  was  a 
practice  very  common  in  the  Colonies  so  that  it 
became  necessary  to  weigh  the  silver  money.  Of 
small  change  there  was  none  during  the,  earliest 
years  of  the  city's  history,  the  Spanish  real  (one- 
eighth  of  a  dollar  nominally  but  made  current  in 


the  royal  provinces  at  a  value  of  fourpence  half- 
penny English),  was  the  smallest  current  coin. 
There  was  much  complaint  among  the  poorer  peo- 
ple and  the  smaller  merchants  about  the  lack  of 
copper  coin,  until  in  I  722  William  Wood,  hav- 
ing bribed  the  Duchess  of  Kendal,  one  of  the 
mistresses  of  George  \,  secured  a  license  to  make 
copper  coins  to  circulate  in  Ireland  and  in  the 
American  Colonies.  He  made  pence,  halfpence 
and  two-penny  pieces  for  Ireland  with  the  obverse 
of  a  harp,  but  they  created  such  a  disturbance  in 
the  Green  Isle  that  the  privilege  for  Ireland  was 
recalled  in  I  725.  But  he  continued  to  coin  the 
Rosa  Americana  coins,  pence,  halfpence  and  farth- 
ings for  America  until  I  733  when  the  lack  of  de- 
mand caused  him  to  quit  the  business.  The  coins 
were  attractive  enough  in  design  but  the  metal  was 
so  base,  fifteen  parts  brass  to  one  of  spelter,  that 
they  were  entirely  out  of  favor  and  it  was  said  of 
Wood  that  "he  had  the  conscience  to  make  thir- 
teen shillings  out  of  a  pound  of  brass."  English 
copper  coins  of  the  regular  issues  were  favored  and 
for  a  long  time  were  current  at  double  their  value, 
the  English  halfpenny  passing  for  a  penny  but 
finally  becoming  so  plentiful  that  the  merchants 
agreed  not  to  receive  or  pass  capper  halfpence  at 
any  higher  rate  than  fourteen  to  the  shilling,  an 
announcement  that  started  a  riot  which  had  to  be 
suppressed  by  the  police.  Various  privately  issued 
tokens  passed  current  at  various  times,  the  fa- 
vorites being  the  New  Jersey  small  change  because 
they  were  made  of  good  capper,  but  these  were 
imitated  in  baser  metals  later,  and  except  the 
genuine  Jersey  coppers  and  the  British  regular  cop- 
per coins,  the  coins  other  than  gold  and  silver 
used  in  the  colonies  were  all  of  base  metal. 

After  independence  and  until  the  coining  func- 
tion was  taken  over  by  the  Federal  government 
there  were  various  coinages  by  state  authority  of 
the  several  states  or  private  issues  which  were  used. 
Most  of  these,  however,  were  copper  coins  as  the 


82 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


always  abundant  Spanisli  silvi  supply  \\as  kepi 
at  standard  weight  and  fineness,  and  except  where 
filed  or  clipped  was  current  all  over  the  world. 
Thus  It  was  that  when  the  decimal  standard  was 
finally  established  it  was  on  the  basis  of  a  stand- 
ard dollar  which  should  be  identical  in  weight 
and  fineness  with  the  then  current  eight  reals  piece 
which,  except  for  mint  marks,  was  identical  in 
every  particular,  whether  made  in  Seville,  in 
Mexico  or  in  any  other  of  the  twenty  or  more 
mints  scattered  throughout  the  silver-bearing  Span- 
ish dominions. 

While  money  is  the  chief  factor  in  the  mechan- 
ism of  exchange  and  finance,  the  media  by  which 
a  city  IS  established  as  a  financial  center  include 
banks,  exchanges  and  other  organizations  by  which 
the  varied  functions  of  money  and  credit  are  co- 
ordinated into  a  system  by  which  transactions  are 
made  easy  and  markets  are  created  for  all  kinds 
of  securities. 

A  former  chapter  has  told  how  the  first  bank 
in  the  city,  the  Bank  of  New  York,  had  been  es- 
tablished in  I  784,  and  how  The  Manhattan  Com- 
pany, organized  ostensibly  for  water  supply,  had 
blossomed  out  into  a  bank  as  a  result  of  the  sharp 
practice  of  Aaron  Burr.  To  this  second  bank 
was  added  another,  which  was  a  branch  of  the 
Bank  of  the  United  States  (organized  in  1781) 
in  Philadelphia.  1  hese  three  institutions  formed 
the  banking  facilities  of  the  city  in  1800.  The 
banking  capital  employed  was  three  million  dollars. 
The  Embargo  and  the  War  of  1812  with  the 
marked  interruption  to  foreign  commerce  they  in- 
volved were  a  clog  on  the  financial  development 
of  New  York.  In  connection  with  the  war  itsell 
the  banks  and  capitalists  of  New  York  stood 
solidly  behind  the  Government.  John  Jacob  As- 
tor,  whose  great  adventures  in  the  fur  trade  had 
made  him  the  wealthiest  citizen  of  New  York, 
made  a  large  subscription  to  the  Government  war 
loan  of  that  period.  By  1816  the  banking  cap- 
ital of  New  York  had  increased  to  ten  millions  of 
dollars. 

On  May  I  7,  i  792,  twenty-four  New  York 
brokers  met  under  a  cottonwood  tree  opposite  60 
Wall  Street  and  signed  an  agreement  regarding 
rates  of  commission.  The  organization  was  loosely 
held  together  by  occasional  meetings  at  the  Tontine 
Coffee  House  until  1817,  when  a  formal  organi- 
zation of  the  Stock  Exchange  upon  present  lines 
was  effected.  The  first  meeting  place  of  this  reg- 
ular organization  was  in  the  Merchants'  Exchange 
which  occupied  the  building  that  afterward  be- 
came the  Custom  House  and  later  was  recon- 
structed into  the  present  building  of  the  National 
City  Bank  of  New  '^'ork.  It  removed  in  183  3 
to  a  building  at  the  corner  of  Wall  and  Beaver 
Streets,  and  in  1 865  removed  to  a  building  oc- 
cupying the  same  site  as  that  now  occupied  by  its 
magnificent  marble  building,  one  of  the  most  ornate 
structures  of  the  city.     In  I  869  the  Exchange  ab- 


sorbed the  membership  ot  the  Open  Board  of 
Brokers,  which  had  been  a  rival  organization. 
There  was  during  the  Civil  War  a  body  called 
the  Gold  Board,  which  specialized  in  dealings  and 
speculations  in  gold.  It  continued  after  the  War 
and  from  August,  1865,  occupied  premises  in 
New  Street,  back  of  the  Stock  Exchange  Build- 
ing. When  that  Exchange  closed  in  1879  the 
Stock  Exchange  acquired  its  premises,  giving  it 
the  enlarged  site  covered  by  its  present  building. 

The  Stock  Exchange  Clearing  House  is  an  adjunct 
of  the  Stock  Exchange  which  it  established  on 
May  17,  1892,  the  one  hundredth  anniversary  of 
the  meeting  under  the  cottonwood  tree  which  started 
the   Exchange   organization   in   its  original  form. 

1  his  Clearing  House  plan  functions  for  the  busi- 
ness in  stocks  and  bonds  through  Stock  Exchange 
houses  in  the  same  way  that  the  bank  clearing 
house  does  for  the  banks  and  has  proven  a  great 
convenience  in  the  prompt  handling  and  offsetting 
of  exchanges. 

The  present  year  of  1917  completes  the  one 
hundredth  year  of  business  of  the  Stock  Exchange 
under  its  present  organization.  It  has  been  a  cen- 
tury of  most  remarkable  development  in  New  York 
as  a  financial  center.  Until  1825  the  rivalry  of 
Boston  and  Philadelphia  was  keen,  although  New 
York  had  obtained  and  maintained  a  lead  in 
financial  business.  But  the  completion  of  the 
Erie  Canal  put  New  York  into  such  close 
touch  with  the  commerce  of  the  Lake  region  and 
all  the  then  settled  Northwest  that  its  leadership  in 
finance  became  fixed  beyond  the  reach  of  rivalry 
on  this  continent.  The  products  of  the  regions 
thus  made  tributary  poured  into  the  lap  of  New 
^  ork,  which  also  became  more  and  more  em- 
phatically the  entrepot  at  which  the  products  of 
foreign  lands  were  debarked  for  distribution  in  this 
country  or  direct  trans-shipment  to  the  interior. 
The  predominance  in  foreign  commerce  which 
came  to  the  city  brought  to  it  a  predominance  in 
the  foreign  exchanges  of  this  country,  including  the 
collection  of  the  sums  which  foreign  consignees 
paid  for  American  products  and  the  settlements 
made  by  importers  for  foreign  goods  brought  to 
the  United  States.  This  predominance  has  ever 
since  attached  to  New  York  as  the  great  ex- 
change center  of  the  United  States. 

New  York  has  fully  participated  in  the  limes 
of  financial  stress  that  have  visited  this  country. 
The  panic  of  1837  compelled  the  banks  of  New 
York  City  to  suspend  specie  payments  in  May  of 
that  year  and  to  continue  the  suspension  for  about 
a  year.  This  was  not  wholly  bad  for  New  York 
because  it  brought  about  the  passage  by  the  Legis- 
lature of  1838  of  what  was  known  as  the  "Free 
Banking  Act."  This  act  opened  the  privilege  of 
banking  to  any  citizen  who  desired  to  enter  the 
business  and  submitted  his  operations  to  proper 
regulation.  It  did  away  with  the  graft  and  cor- 
ruption which  had,  from  the  time  of  Aaron  Burr 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


83 


Old  Stock  Exchange 


onward,  been  frequent  in  connection  with  the  pro- 
curement of  legislative  charters.  It  also  provided 
that  no  bank-notes  could  be  issued  except  on  the 
basis  of  Government  or  State  bonds  or  other  tangi- 
ble securities  acceptable  to  the  State  authorities 
who  were  given  a  large  measure  of  direct  super 
vision  over  banking,  and  introduced  many  checks 
and  safeguards  which  were  later  adopted  by  sev- 
eral other  States.  The  provisions  of  this  law 
formed  the  basis  of  the  National  Banking  Act 
passed  by  Congress  twenty-five  years  later. 

One  result  of  the  Panic  of  I  836  was  the  down- 
fall of  the  Bank  of  the  United  States  which  had 
its  head  office  in  Philadelphia,  with  a  loss  of  busi- 
ness to  that  city  which  eliminated  all  possibility  of 
its  financial  rivalry  of  New  York.  Events  fol- 
lowed fast  which  accentuated  the  financial  mastery 
•of  this  city.  The  ocean  steamship  and  the  steam 
railroad  in  their  American  ramifications  were 
chiefly  financed  in  New  York.  The  California 
gold  discoveries  created  a  trade  which  brought 
much  of  the  gold  products  to  the  vaults  of  New 
York  banks.  The  establishing  here  of  the  United 
States  Sub-Treasury  in  1846;  the  New  York 
Clearing  House  Association,  and  the  United 
States  Assay  Office  in  1853;  and  the  develop- 
ment of  corporate  enterprises  which  found  that 
New  York,  with  its  great  Wall  Street  money-mar- 
ket was  the  only  city  able  to  surely  and  safely 
float  their  securities,  were  all  factors  which  in  in- 
creasing degree  gave  the  city  its  power  and  pres- 


tige in  finance.  The  financial  progress  of  the  city 
at  times  was  unhealthfully  and  radically  over- 
stimulated  by  excess  of  speculation.  From  this 
resulted  the  panic  of  185  7  which  brought  runs  on 
the  banks,  several  failures  in  business  and  a  money 
crisis  which  brought  a  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments from  October  1 5  to  December  1 4  in  that 
year.  But  the  recovery  of  normal  confidence  was 
much  more  rapid  at  that  time  than  it  had  been 
after  previous  panics.  But  while  the  panic  was  on 
the  excitement  was  very  intense.  The  Bowery 
Bank  went  under  on  Tuesday,  October  1  3,  185  7, 
and  from  that  time  the  crowds  filled  the  sidewalks 
and  crowded  the  banking  houses  until  on  Thursday 
the  banks,  having  paid  out  about  all  their  coin, 
were  forced  to  suspend.  Boston  had  a  similar 
experience.  The  newspapers  were  pessimistic.  The 
Tribune  commented:  "The  towering  fabric  oi 
our  mercantile  credit  lies  in  ruins." 

Yet  the  very  next  years,  1858  and  1859,  were 
prosperous.  At  the  end  of  the  latter  year  cam? 
news  of  ominous  import.  There  had  been  an  in- 
vasion of  Virginia  by  John  Brown,  who  with  sev- 
enteen white  men  and  five  negroes  had  visited  the 
estate  of  Colonel  Washington,  stolen  the  arms  and 
horses,  seized  Washington  and  ill-treated  his  family, 
set  his  negroes  free  and  had  in  the  dark  night 
extinguished  the  lights  and  seized  the  armory  and 
arsenal  of  large  munition  stores  of  the  Government 
at  Harper's  Ferry.  The  story  of  the  raid  of 
October  14  and  15,  1859,  and  of  the  battle  be- 
tween the  raiders  and  United  States  marines,  the 
capture  of  the  raiders  and  the  subsequent  trial, 
conviction  and  hanging  of  John  Brown  for  treason 
and  murder,  are  a  familiar  story.  It  agitated  New 
York  and  affe:ted  the  market.     Some  thought  it 


Stock  Exchange  Building  Today 


84 


NEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


portended  Civil  War  lor  tliey  lelt  that  between 
the  irreconcilables  South  and  North,  with  Lincoln 
soon  to  take  the  Executive  chair,  a  conflict  was 
sure.  But  with  the  beginning  of  1861  the  mar- 
ket rallied  to  a  feeling  of  optimism,  voiced  by 
the  press,  that  after  all  the  threat  of  disunion  had 
been  campaign  talk  and  that  South  as  well  as 
North  would  acquiesce  in  the  results  of  the 
election. 

The  war  at  first  brought  business  demoraliza- 
tion. There  was  a  slump  in  the  stock  market  and 
paralysis  m  many  lines  of  business.  But  a  rally 
followed.  Financial  New  York  after  the  bom- 
bardment of  Fort  Sumter  came  boldly  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  national  credit.  Banks  made  large 
loans  to  the  United  States  Treasury,  on  the  security 
of  1  reasury  notes  and  bonds.  Specie  payments 
were  suspended  by  New  York  banks.  Gold  went 
into  hiding  only  to  appear  as  a  speculative  com- 
modity always  above  par,  fluctuating  with  the  for- 
tunes of  war  and  with  market  conditions.  The 
Gold  Board  Exchange  in  New  YorV.  operated  in 
these  sales  and  the  gold  value  of  the  National 
Currency  (which  became  greatly  inflated  by  rea- 
son of  the  vast  expenditures  for  war)  was  meas- 
ured and  adjusted  for  the  entire  country  by  the 
operations  of  that  Board.  Gold  reached  its 
highest  level  on  July  1 6,  1 864,  when  it  sold  at 
2.84  and  did  not  reach  par  after  I  862  until  De- 
cember 17,  1878.  By  1879  the  par  between 
gold  and  currency  became  normal  and  the  Gold 
Board  went  out  of  business.  The  "Street"  in  the 
meantime  had  many  vicissitudes,  with  fortunes 
made  and  lost.  A  period  of  wild  speculation  set 
in  about  1866,  and  the  wild  attempt  to  "corner" 
the  supply  of  gold  culminated  in  the  trying  day  of 
"Black  Friday,"  September  24,  1869,  which 
wrought  such  devastation  that  the  Stock  Exchange 
had  to  be  closed  for  several  days  in  order  to  find 
out  who  was  solvent  and  who  was  ruined. 

As  soon  as  the  market  recovered  from  that 
episode  the  fever  of  speculation  took  hold  of  the 
country.  Railroad  speculation  was  to  the  fore 
among  many  varieties  of  securities  good,  bad  and 
indifferent  that  captured  the  attenion  of  the  "bulls 
and  bears"  and  the  excited  hopes  of  the  often- 
shorn  lambs.  Over-speculation  and  over-expansion 
of  credits  brought  on  a  commercial  and  financial 
panic  in  I  873.  Fhis  w  as  eased  by  the  Associated 
Banks  of  New  York  which,  by  the  uniting  of 
their  credit  and  resources,  issued  Clearing  House 
certificates  by  means  of  which  those  of  their  mem- 
bership who  were  temporarily  endangered  were 
carried  safely  through  the  period  of  stringency  of 
money  and  disorganization  of  business  throughout 
the  country.  The  same  method  was  adopted  in 
1884  when  a  panic  struck  the  "Street"  following 
the  failure  of  the  firm  of  Grant  &  Ward  and 
the  suspension  of  the  Marine  Bank;  and  in  1890, 
when  the  failure  of  the  great  international  banking 


house  of  Baring  Brothers  &  Co.,  of  London,  re- 
garded as  second  only  in  stability  to  the  Bank  of 
England,  threatened  to  shake  financial  foundations 
throughout  the  world.  It  was  used  also  in  the 
panic  of  1893,  which  was  followed  by  a  con- 
dition of  stringency  which  continued  until  1896; 
and  in  the  financial  stringency  of  1907  when  the 
Knickerbocker  Trust  Company  and  several  banks 
suspended. 

The  two  or  three  decades  that  followed  the 
Civil  War  evolved  many  careers  in  Wall  Street 
which  became  notable  for  boldness  of  opera- 
tion and  great  financial  success.  Some  of  these 
giants  of  Wall  Street  w^ere  continuously  success- 
ful though  few  succeeded  without  some  reverses. 
Others  ran  the  whole  gamut  of  Wall  Street  up 
and  down  from  failure  to  success. 

The  completion  of  the  Atlantic  cable  brought 
Wall  Street  in  touch  with  Lombard  Street  and 
with  the  Paris  Bourse  and  the  other  Continental 
money  markets.  The  stronger  and  sounder  Amer- 
ican stocks  and  securities  invited  foreign  capital 
because  the  rates  of  interest  were  upon  the  whole 
higher  than  the  European  issues  of  like  stability, 
while  the  more  speculative  stocks  possessed  attrac- 
tions for  those  willing  to  fake  risks  where  the 
chances  seemed  to  favor  large  returns.  The  great 
industrials  became  great  favorites.  Standard 
Oil,  A.merican  Sugar  Refining,  American  Cotton- 
seed Oil  and  National  Lead,  among  the  earliest, 
and  later  the  colossal  United  States  Steel  and  other 
vast  organizations,  some  of  which  have  had  their 
wings  clipped  by  the  Sherman  Act  and  other  anti- 
monoply  laws,  while  others,  having  kept  within 
the  "rule  of  reason,"  flourish  like  the  green  bay 
tree.  The  National  Banking  Act  of  1 865  gave 
added  importance  to  New  York  as  the  financial 
center  of  the  country.  It  recognized  and  gave  le- 
gal force  to  existing  conditions.  It  required  the 
National  banks  of  New  York  to  maintain  in  cash 
a  reserve  of  25  per  cent  against  their  deposits, 
but  authorized  the  National  banks  of  other  chief 
cities  to  deposit  half  of  their  25  per  cent  re- 
serves with  National  banks  in  New  York,  thus 
making  New  York  a  monetary  reservoir  from 
which,  when  commerce  is  active,  funds  could  flow 
to  all  sections  where  money  was  needed  for  con- 
structive work,  crop  movements  and  the  like.  It 
was  a  great  improvement  over  any  previous  sys- 
tem but  experience  showed  that  it  was  not  in  all 
respects  adequate  for  there  were  at  various  times 
local  and  at  some  periods  general  waves  of  strin- 
gency which  held  on  with  distressful  results  for 
want  of  liquidity  in  banking  assets.  Bankers 
contended  for  years  for  a  reform  in  National 
banking  laws  but  the  popular  aversion  to  anything 
like  a  central  bank  monopoly,  which  had 
persisted  ever  since  the  days  of  the  Jackson 
Administration,  prevented  the  final  passage 
of     the     several    bank    reform    bills    that  had 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


85 


Some  Financiers  of  the  'Seventies 


86 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


been  piescnlfd,  until  Imally  llu"  l  edcial  Kcseive 
Law  was  passed  in  1914.  Its  passage  was  most 
opportune  for  soon  after,  on  July  29.  the  Euro- 
pean War  was  precipitated  on  an  unprepared 
world.  The  Federal  Reserve  Banks  did  not  be- 
gin business  until  November  16,  but  the  fact  that 
the  system  was  being  organized  gave  hope  and 
steadiness  to  the  market. 

On  July   30  the  Stock  Exchange  closed,  fol- 
lowed on  August  2  by  the  Cotton  Exchange  and 
the  Produce  Exchange.     On  August  3,  to  pre- 
vent aliens  from  making  hasty  withdrawals  from 
savings   banks,    private    banking    institutions  and 
savings  and  loan  associations,  the  State  Superin- 
tendent   of    Banks    of  New  York  ordered  the 
banks  to  require  sixty  days'  notice.     The  New 
York    Clearing    House   voted    to    issue  Clearing 
House  certificates  to  prevent  raids  upon  the  gold 
supply  of  the  United  States.     On  November  1 6 
the  Federal  Reserve  banks  began  business  and  the 
Cotton  Exchange  reopened  and  on  November  26 
the  Stock  Exchange  and  the  Produce  Exchange 
resumed.     Financial  history  since  then  is  familiar 
to  the  business  world.     Industry   has  been  very 
active.       Supplying  the  needs  in  food,  clothing 
and  provisions  to  such  of  the  belligerent  nations 
as  could  be  reached  by  shipments  brought  great 
stimulation  to  the  arena  of  finance  in  New  York. 
Inflated  prices   of    stocks,    including  a   class  of 
corporations  which  Wall  Street  with  characteristic 
humor  has  dubbed  "War  Brides,"  were  an  out- 
standing feature    of  a    general    advance   of  the 
whole  stock  list.       The  entrance  of  the  United 
States  into  war  again  demonstrated  the  substantial 
power  of  the  financial  market  of  New  York.  The 
great  Liberty  Loan  of  which  New  York  subscribed 
double  its  quota,  the  financing  of  many  Govern- 
ment and  private  ventures  relative  to  the  great 
war  "to  make  the  world  safe  for  Democracy,"  the 
volunteer  service  of  many  of  the  financial  mag- 
nates and  industrial  chiefs  in  financing  and  man- 
aging the  Red  Cross,  in  participating  in  boards, 
commissions  and  committees  to  stabilize  and  equal- 
ize prices,  to  make  the  transportation  and  produc- 
tive resources  work  smoothly  for  the  benefit  alike 
of  Government,  Army,  Navy,  Industries  and  the 
People,  are  facts  which  testify  most  emphatically 
to  the  patriotism  and  worth  of  the  men  who  have 
done  most  to  make   New   York  first  amon^-'  the 
financial   centers    of    the    world.     "Dollar  l.x 
change"  has  taken  a  place  nevei   before  held  by 
any  currency  except  "Sterling  Exchange"  and  the 
financial  history  of  this  present  period,  with  the 
large  fareign  loans  made  by  and  credits  due  to 
the  government  and  individual  financiers  and  cor- 
porations of  the  United  States,  make  it  beyond 
question  that  the  financial  mastery  of  New  ^  ork 
will  remain  perman  ,ntly  equal  to  if  it  does  not 
excel  that  of  any  of  the  great  money  markets  of 
Europe. 


insurance  is  representtd  in  all  its  various  branches 
in  New  York  by  home  companies  and  agencies 
which  represent  the  best  outside  insurance  com- 
panies in  the  world. 

Marine  insurance  was  the  earliest  form  of  un- 
derwriting to  appear  in  New  York.  It  started 
in  1  759  with  the  "Old  Insurance  Office,"  con- 
ducted by  Keteltas  &  Sharpe  (Peter  Keteltas  and 
Richard  Sharpe)  as  "clerks,"  the  office  being  in 
the  Coffee  House,  and  the  New  York  Insurance 
Office,  in  the  adjoining  building,  in  charge  of 
Anthony  Van  Dam.  Both  of  these  offices  gave 
marine  insurance  to  merchants  secured  by  the  sub- 
scriptions of  underwriters.  Because  of  the  de- 
struction of  vessels  by  American  privateers  a  "New 
Insurance  Office"  was  opened  in  1  778.  Under 
the  United  States  regime  marine  insurance  contin- 
ued to  be  underwritten  under  the  subscription  or 
mutual  plan  until  in  1801  the  "Marine  Insurance 
Company"  was  organized  as  the  first  exclusively 
marine  stock  companv  in  New  York,  with  a 
capital  of  $250,000. 

The  first  Nevv  York  fire  insurance  company, 
the  "Mutual  Assurance  Company,"  was  organized 
in  1  787,  under  a  deed  of  settlement,  according 
to  English  custom,  by  its  secretary,  John  Pintard. 
It  was  renewed  and  incorporated  in  1  798,  reor- 
ganized with  a  capital  stock  in  1809,  changed  its 
name  to  "Knickerbocker  Fire  Insurance  Company" 
in  1846  and  continued  in  business  until  1890, 
when  it  was  dissolved. 

The  "United  Insurance  Company  in  the  City 
of  New  York,"  incorporated  under  a  charter 
granted  to  Nicholas  Low^  and  associates,  and 
"The  New  York  Insurance  Company  for  Mari- 
time Insurance,  Houses,  Goods,  and  Lives"  were 
companies  which  aimed  to  cover  all  kinds  of  in- 
surance. 

By  1830  there  were  in  New  ^'ork  eight  ma- 
rine companies,  with  an  aggregate  capital  of 
$3,050,000;  and  twenty-five  fire  companies,  with 
an  aggregate  capital  of  $7,800,000.  In  1835 
there  were  twenty-six  fire  companies  and  twenty- 
three  of  them  were  thrown  into  bankruptcy  by  the 
fire  which  destroyed,  on  the  night  of  December 
!6,  an  aggregate  of  529  stores  and  41  other 
buildings  situated  south  of  Wall  Street,  then  the 
business  center  of  the  city.  Wise  laws  followed 
this  disaster  which  prohibited  the  cumulation  in  one 
company  of  many  varieties  of  underwriting,  and 
also  prohibited  all  kinds  of  insurance  companies 
irom  combining  insurance  with  banking  business. 
At  the  same  time  a  law  which  had  been  passed 
in  1829  excluding  foreign  companies  from  doing 
insurance  business  in  the  State  of  New  York  was 
repealed,  thus  letting  in  many  of  the  best  insurance 
companies  in  the  world  so  that  New  York  now 
possesses  both  home  companies  and  branches  of 
outside  corporations,    domestic    and    foreign,  all 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


87 


with  established  reputation  for  promptness  and 
equity  in  fulfilling  their  underwriting  obligations. 

In  life  insurance  New  York  is  the  home  of  the 
world's  most  colossal  companies,  controlling 
world-wide  busmess  and  in  the  aggregate  of  assets 
and  of  outstanding  insurance  making  New  York 
unquestionably  the  world's  life  insurance  metropolis. 

Casualty  insurance  has  in  its  various  forms  had 
an  enormous  growth,  and  through  home  companies 
and  branches  of  outside  companies  with  resident 
managers  covers  every    branch    of    accident  and 


casualty  insurance,  two  of  the  more  modern  and 
most  active  being  automobile  and  workmen's  com- 
pensation insurance,  made  necessary  by  compul- 
sory laws  of  New  York  and  adjoining  states. 
Some  abuses  which  crept  into  the  insurance 
business  in  former  years  have  been  wiped  out 
by  later  legislation,  and  it  may  be  truly  said  that 
nowhere  is  the  business  of  insurance  carried  on 
upon  a  larger  scale  or  upon  methods  more  equi- 
tably protective  of  the  policyholder  than  in  New 
York  City  in  this  present  day. 


Atlantic  Mutual  Insurance  Building 


88 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


WILLIAM  H.  McGEL  &  (^O. 


William  H.  McGee 


The  firm  of  William  H.  McGee  &  Co.,  which 
speciahzes  in  ocean  marme  insurance,  is  one  ef 
the  most  important  and  successful  in  its  line  in  the 
country.  The  business  was  founded  in  1887  by 
William  H.  McGee.  The  present  firm  was  or- 
ganized January  I,  1914,  the  other  members  be- 
sides Mr.  McGee  being  Eugene  J.  Coleman  and 
Robert  B.  Jennings,  who  have  been  associated 
with  the  founder  for  twenty-five  and  eighteen  years 
respectively.  In  two  years  and  a  half  the  firm 
found  it  necessary  to  increase  the  clerical  force 
from  fifty  to  over  two  hundred.  This  remarkable 
growth  was  to  a  great  extent  the  result  of  method- 
ical work  by  the  members  of  the  firm.  At  the 
outbreak  of  the  European  war  new  complications 


arose  in  ocean  marine  insurance.  These  required 
thought  and  in  order  that  concerted  action  could 
be  secured  to  handle  them  a  noon-day  lunch  was 
arranged  for  the  three  members  of  the  firm  in 
the  conference  rooms  at  their  offices  and  these 
daily  meetings  keep  them  in  close  touch — enable 
them  to  thresh  out  mooted  questions  and  evolve 
modes  of  procedure  that  are  of  great  benefit  to 
the  business.  The  same  unity  was  observed  in 
the  division  of  the  work.  Mr.  McGee  and  Mr. 
Coleman  attend  to  the  underwriting  while  Mr. 
Jennings  looks  after  the  losses.  The  firm  has  a 
complete  organization  along  business  efficiency 
lines  and  the  most  spacious  marine  offices  in  the 
country,  occupying  the  second  and  third  floors  of 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


89 


Robert  B.  Jennins 


the  building,  1 5  William  Street,  the  third  floor 
being  used  as  the  Accounting  and  Statistical  De- 
partment, while  the  second  floor  is  utilized  for 
Executive  Offices  and  the  Underwritjng  and  Loss 
Departments.  The  firm  acts  as  general  agents 
for  the  Marine  Departments  of  the  St.  Paul  Fire 
&  Marine  Insurance  Co.,  the  Westchester  Fire  In- 
surance Co.,  the  Phoenix  Fire  Insurance  Co.  of 
Hartford,  the  Camden  Fire  Insurance  Associa- 
tion, and  are  agents  for  the  Marine  Departments 
of  the  Providence  Washington  Insurance  Co.,  the 
Massachusetts  Fire  &  Marine  Insurance  Co.  and 
managers  in  the  United  States  for  the  Scandi- 
navia Re-insurance  Company  of  Copenhagen, 
Denmark. 


One  of  the  essentials  to  the  success  of  the  in- 
surance business  is  the  fair  settlement  of  losses. 
1  he  firm  acts  as  general  agents  and  attorneys  for 
the  marine  business  of  the  companies  named  and 
it  endeavors  to  adjust  all  losses  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  insured,  it  being  well  known  in  the  marine 
insurance  field  that  when  William  H.  McGee  & 
Co.  accept  a  risk  the  insured  is  certain,  in  case 
of  loss,  to  receive  fair  and  equitable  treatment. 
William  H.  McGee,  senior  member  of  the  firm, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  November  4,  1863, 
the  son  of  Robert  and  Emma  Price  McGee.  The 
family  is  an  old  American  one  and  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  extraction  on  the  paternal  side  while  the 
maternal  branch  is  English-Scotch.     Mr.  McGee 


90 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


Eugene  J.  F.  Coleman 


attended  the  Brooklyn  schools  until  he  was  thir- 
teen years  old  and  then  went  to  work  for  the 
dry  goods  firm  of  T.  K.  Horton  &  Co.,  shortly 
afterwards  securing  a  position  with  Wreaks  & 
Chubb,  insurance  brokers  and  average  adjusters 
In  I  864  he  went  to  the  home  office  of  the  Provi- 
dence Washington  Insurance  Company,  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.,  as  a  clerk  and  returned  to  New 
York  City  three  years  later  as  agent  of  that 
company.  He  was  only  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
yet  despite  his  youth  he  built  up  a  large  business 
for  the  Providence  company  and  in  1895  he  was 
made  the  agent  of  the  St.  Paul  Fire  and  Marine 
Insurance  Company  of  St.  Paul.  From  that 
time  until    1914.   Mr.   McGee's    business  grew 


rai)idly  and  to  handle  it  more  systematically  and 
expeditiously  the  present  firm  was  organized. 

Mr.  McGee  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
maritime  insurance  and  has  aided  in  shaping  that 
branch  of  the  business  in  this  country.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Committee  of  Lloyds 
Register  of  Shipping,  a  standard  authority  upon 
that  subject;  has  served  as  Secretary  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Marine  Underwriters  since 
1 906  and  is  American  Secretary  of  the  Interna- 
tional Association  of  Marine  Underwriters,  which 
has  its  headquarters  in  Berlin.  Mr.  McGee  is  a 
member  of  the  Down  Town  Association,  New 
"^'ork  Club  and  the  Masonic  Fraternity. 

Eugene  J.  F.  Coleman,  the  second  member  of 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


91 


the  firm,  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1873  and 
is  a  New  Yorker  in  all  that  the  name  implies. 
He  has  been  associated  with  Mr.  McGee  dur- 
ing his  entire  business  career  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  capable  underwriters  in  the  city. 

Robert  B.  Jennings,  the  other  member  of  the 
firm,  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1 880  but 
has  been  a  resident  of  New  Jersey  for  many 
years.  He  was  for  a  long  time  connected  with 
the  Marine  Department  of  the  Firemen's  Fund 
Insurance  Company  before  becoming  associated 
with  Mr.  McGee.  From  a  junior  in  that  gentle- 
man's office  he  advanced  through  positions  of  con- 
stantly increasing  responsibility  until  it  became  evi- 
dent that  both  he  and  Mr.  Coleman  were  fitted 
to  be  principals  and  the  present  firm  was  then 
formed. 

V.  EVERIT  MACY 
V.  Everit  Macy,  Capitalist  and  Director  in 
banks  and  other  great  commercial  enterprises,  is 
a  philanthropist  who  has  the  courage  to  put  his 
views  into  practice.  In  order  to  test  his  theories, 
which  many  regarded  as  impracticable,  he  got 
himself  elected  Superintendent  of  the  Poor  of 
Westchester  County  and  then  began  to  do  some 
research  work  in  connection  with  various  philan- 
thropic societies  with  which  he  is  connected. 
Three  years'  experience  proved  that  there  were 
many  services  he  could  perform  for  he  believed 
the  whole  system  of  administration  in  Westchester 
County  should  be  reformed.  He  knew  little  of 
politics  and  had  been  elected  to  the  position  ol 
Superintendent  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  an  off 
year  and  it  was  necessary  that  he  have  the  sup- 
port of  a  Republican  Board  of  Supervisors  to  carry 
out  his  ideas.  This  did  not  deter  Mr.  Macy.  He 
won  over  the  Board  and  got  it  to  consent  to  aban- 
don the  inadequate  hundred-year-old  building  used 
as  an  almshouse  and  erect  a  $1,500,000  plant 
which  is  a  model  in  every  way.  As  Commis- 
sioner of  Charities  Mr.  Macy  has  charge  of  the 
new  county  penitentiary,  which  has  greatly  relieved 
the  New  York  prisons  of  many  of  their  inmates. 
Mr.  Macy,  who  has  devoted  much  time  and  spent 
a  large  amount  of  money  in  the  alleviation  of  the 
sufferings  of  the  unfortunate,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  March  23,  1871,  the  son  of  Josiah 
H.  and  Caroline  (Everit)  Macy.  After  a 
thorough  preliminary  education  he  graduated  from 
the  Department  of  Architecture  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege in  1893.  He  never  practiced  his  profession 
but  has  for  many  years  devoted  his  entire  time  to 
public  spirited,  educational  and  charitable  work. 
Before  he  became  an  office  holder  and  began  to 
make  a  practical  test  of  his  theories  he  had  helped 
to  found  the  National  Employment  Exchange,  had 
served  as  Vice-President  of  the  National  Civic 
Federation,  the  New  York  Civic  Federation  and 


the  New  York  State  Child  Labor  Association. 
He  had  been  Trustee  of  Teachers'  College,  ti  e 
University  Settlement  and  the  George  Junior  Re- 
public, Treasurer  of  the  People's  Institute  and 
Chairman  of  the  Finance  Committee  of  the  Man- 
hattan Trade  School.  He  relinquished  member- 
ship m  many  of  these  associations  in  order  to  have 
more  time  to  give  to  his  duties  looking  after  the 
poor  of  Westchester  County.  When  he  took  up 
his  labors  there  he  found  the  poor  laws  under 
which  the  whole  administration  system  was  worked 
were  absurd  and  inadequate.  He  secured  legis- 
lation which  helped  matters  some  in  creating  the 
office  of  Commissioner  of  Charities  and  Correc- 
tions under  which  the  new  institutions  are  run. 
Mr.  Macy's  services  to  the  county  were  of  such 
a  character  that  when  the  new  law  went  into  ef- 
fect he  received  the  nomination  on  the  Republican. 
Democratic  and  Progressive  tickets  and  as  Commis- 
sioner has  the  opportunity  of  doing  much  greater 
things,  the  almshouse.  County  hospital.  Children's 
Department  and  Penitentiary  coming  under  his 
direction.  He  is  working  hard  to  increase  the 
efficiency  of  the  hospital,  is  making  the  lives  of 
the  almshouse  inmates  much  more  pleasant,  is  pay- 
ing especial  attention  to  the  children  and  is  mak- 
ing the  penitentiary  a  place  where  the  prisoners  will 
be  given  a  chance  to  improve  their  condition  and 
reform.  Mr.  Macy's  administration  has  been 
marked  by  a  great  saving  in  maintenance,  the  cost 
per  capita  being  so  reduced  that  the  people  of 
Westchester  will  probably  give  him  a  life  tenure  of 
the  office  if  he  will  consent  to  continue  in  the 
position.  Mr.  Macy's  interests  are  many  and 
varied.  He  is  a  Director  of  the  Mechanics  and 
Metals  Bank  and  the  Bank  of  Long  Island, 
Trustee  of  the  Union  Trust  Co.,  the  Provident 
Loan  Society,  City  and  Suburban  Homes  Com- 
pany, Manufacturers'  Commercial  Co.,  Queens- 
boro  Gas  &  Electric  Co.,  Albany  Southern  R.  R. 
Co.,  Century  Mortgage  Co.,  Hewlett  Bay  Co.. 
Metropolitan  Museum,  Seamen's  Bank  for  Savings 
in  the  City  of  New  York,  Syrian  Protestant  Col- 
lege, and  the  Teachers'  College. 

Mr.  Macy  was  married  in  February,  1896,  to 
Edith  W.  Carpenter  and  has  three  children,  Val- 
entine E.,  Josiah  and  Edith  Macy.  His  office 
is  at  68  Broad  Street. 


The  leadership  of  New  York  in  financial  affairs 
was  never  more  effectively  shown  than  in  the  way 
the  bankers  and  financial  houses  handled  the 
two  Liberty  Loans  of  1917.  Although  the 
quota  of  the  loan  which  this  city  was  expected 
to  reach  was  in  each  case  equal  to  about  a  third 
of  the  entire  issue,  the  city  in  each  case  over-sub- 
scribed its  quota  by  about  fifty  per  cent.  And 
the  volunteer,  unpaid  services  of  the  greatest  banks 
of  the  country  were  freely  given  to  make  the 
loans  a  success. 


92 


.WEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


JULIAN  D. 

Although  born  and  educated  in  New  England, 
Julian  D.  Fairchild,  President  of  the  King's 
County  Trust  Co.,  has  been  one  of  the  most  en- 
thusiastic workers  for  the  advancement  of  Brooklyn, 
his  adopted  city.  He  was  born  in  Stratford, 
Conn.,  A.pril  I  7,  1850,  and  is  of  English  descent, 
the  American  branch  of  the  family  being  founded 
by  1  homas  Fairchild,  who  crossed  the  sea  in  1  637 
to  marry  Sarah  Seabrook,  of  Puritan  stock.  Mr. 
Fairchild  was  educated  in  Stratford  anc?  New 
Haven.  His  one  desire  in  early  life  was  a  col- 
legiate training  but  the  necessity  of  working  pre- 


vented the  consummation  of  this  wish  for,  even 
before  the  completion  of  his  course  in  the  public 
school,  he  was  compelled  to  secure  employment 
at  one  of  the  manufacturing  plants  in  New  Haven. 
He  applied  himself  assidiously  to  his  work  and, 
with  a  fixed  determination  to  succeed,  saved  every 
dollar  he  could  spare  and  was  soon  in  a  position 
to  start  in  business  for  himself  as  a  retail  merchant. 


FAIRCHILD 

The  venture  was  successful  and  Mr.  Fairchild  de- 
termined to  transfer  his  efforts  to  New  York, 
which  he  knew  presented  a  much  larger  field.  He 
located  in  Brooklyn  and  at  once  became  an  active 
factor  in  that  city.  He  had  been  identified  with 
the  King's  County  I  rust  Co.  since  its  organization, 
and  in  1893  was  chosen  President  of  that  insti- 
tution, a  position  he  has  since  held.  Soon  after- 
wards he  was  made  a  Director  of  the  Bedford 
Bank,  the  Lawyers'  Title  Insurance  and  Trust 
Co.  and  the  National  City  Bank  of  Brooklyn. 
Mr.  Fairchild  was  greatly  interested  in  the  original 
projects  to  connect  New  York  and  Brooklyn  by 
bridges  and  tunnels  and,  although  the  bridges  de- 
preciated many  of  his  real  estate  holdings,  he 
sacrificed  his  personal  interests  in  order  that  the 
city  in  general  should  be  benefited.  He  was 
Treasurer  of  the  commission  having  charge  of  the 
erection  of  the  Williamsburgh  Bridge,  and  it  was 
conceded,  when  that  imposing  structure  was  finally 
completed,  that  Mr.  Fairchild's  watchfulness  and 
close  scrutiny  of  contracts  and  expenditures  saved 
the  city  a  large  sum  of  money.  His  popularity 
led  to  his  selection  as  the  Democratic  Mayoralty 
candidate  in  1896,  but  he  declined  the  honor  and 
likewise  refused  to  be  the  Democratic  nominee 
for  the  position  of  Comptroller,  when  Greatei 
New  York  was  first  formed.  Mr.  Fairchild's  entire 
life  has  been  characterized  by  unselfishness  and  a 
desire  to  help  the  less  fortunate.  He  is  a  Regent 
of  the  Long  Island  College  Hospital  and  Presi- 
dent of  the  Brooklyn  Central  Dispensary,  to  which 
institutions  he  has  ungrudgingly  given  his  time  and 
financial  aid.  He  holds  membership  in  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  of  Brooklyn,  the  Montauk. 
Carleton  and  Dyker  Meadow  clubs,  and  is  a 
Trustee  of  the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and 
.Sciences.  His  financial  interests,  other  than  those 
already  mentioned,  are  as  follows:  Trustee.  East 
River  Savings  Institution;  President  and  Director. 
Union  Ferry  Co.  of  New  York  and  Brooklyn; 
Vice-President  and  Director,  the  Mortgage-Bond 
Co.,  of  New  York;  Director  of  the  Pacific  Fire 
Insurance  Co.,  the  Eagle  Warehouse  and  Storage 
Co.  and  the  Metropolitan  Casualty  Insurance  Co., 
of  New  York.  Mr.  Fairchild's  business  address 
is  342  Fulton  Street,  Brooklyn. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


93 


CHARLES  EDWIN  MITCHELL 


Charles  Edwin  Mitchell,  whose  selection  as 
President  of  the  National  City  Company  was  the 
result  of  his  expert  knowledge  of  investment  secur- 
ities and  acknowledged  executive  ability,  has,  dur- 
ing his  incumbency,  largely  mcreased  the  mstitu- 
lion's  business.  The  National  City  Company  is  a 
subsidiary  of  the  National  City  Bank,  one  of 
America's  leadmg  financial  institutions,  and  was 
organized  a  few  years  ago  to  make  and  handle 
corporate  investments.  It  began  busmess  with  a 
paid  in  capital  of  $10,000,000,  indirectly  owned 
by  stockholders  of  the  bank,  and  for  some  time 
after  its  formation  was  known  essentially  as  a 
large  investor  for  its  own  account.  Determining 


that  the  company  should  fake  a  more  active  part 
in  financial  affairs,  the  parent  institution  looked 
around  for  a  specialist  who  was  fully  equipped  to 
direct  its  affairs.  As  a  result  of  this  search  Mr. 
Mitchell  was  in  March,  1916,  chosen  Vice- 
President  and  active  Manager.  The  National 
City  Co.,  having  taken  over  the  bond  distributing 
organization  of  the  National  City  Bank  and  the 
business  of  N.  W.  Halsey  &  Co.,  one  of  the 
largest  investment  security  houses  in  this  country, 
entered  the  field  of  corporate  finance,  with  special 
reference  to  the  purchase  of  securities  and  the  dis- 
tribution thereof  to  the  investing  public.  The  com- 
pany has  now  about  twenty  branch  offices  in  the 


United  States  and  Europe  and  will  doubtless  soon 
occupy  the  same  position  in  its  own  field  that  the 
National  City  Bank  holds  in  American  finance. 
In  October,  1916,  Mr.  Mitchell  was  elevated  to 
the  Presidency  of  the  company.  Mr.  Mitchell 
brought  to  the  National  City  Company  wide  ex- 
perience in  corporation  and  financial  affairs.  He 
was  born  in  Chelsea,  Mass.,  October  6,  1877, 
the  son  of  George  E.  and  Annie  Knowlton  Mit- 
chell. Both  parents  were  descended  from  Colonial 
stock,  whose  members  on  each  side  served  m  the 
Revolution  and  figured  in  early  New  England 
history. 

After  attending  the  public  schools,  Mr.  Mitchell 
entered  Amherst  College  and  graduated  in  1 899 
with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  Immediately  after- 
wards he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Western 
Electric  Company  in  Chicago,  filling  several  office 
positions  and  becoming  credit  man  for  the  com- 
pany within  a  period  of  three  years.  During  this 
time  he  took  a  course  in  accounting  and  one  in 
law,  in  order  to  increase  his  efficiency.  The 
company  transferred  Mr.  Mitchell  to  its  New- 
York  factory  in  order  that  he  might  be  properly 
trained  in  manufacturing  and  sales  methods,  with 
a  view  to  having  him  fill  a  foreign  post, 
but  need  of  his  service  in  Chicago  changed 
this  plan  and  he  returned  to  that  city  as 
Assistant  to  the  President.  The  following  year  he 
was  made  Assistant  Manager,  in  which  position  he 
supervised  the  purchasing  and  sales  department  of 
the  company  in  the  West,  as  well  as  the  engineer- 
ing and  manufacture  of  electrical  machinery.  In 
1 906  he  resigned  his  position  with  the  Western 
Electric  Company  and  became  Assistant  to  the 
President  of  the  Trust  Company  of  America,  of 
New  York  City,  and  handled  a  number  of  outside 
enterprises  in  which  the  company  was  interested. 
In  1911,  after  spending  a  few  months  abroad, 
he  established  the  investment  banking  firm  of  C.  E. 
Mitchell  &  Co.  which  was  successful  from  the 
start  and  soon  became  recognized  as  a  leader  in 
the  investment  field.  When  the  call  came  from 
the  National  City  Company,  Mr.  Mitchell  closed 
out  his  private  business  and  has  since  devoted 
his  time  exclusively  to  the  affairs  of  that  insti- 
tution. 

Mr.  Mitchell  was  married  June  3.  1908,  tn 
Elizabeth  R.  Rend,  a  daughter  of  Col.  W.  P. 
Rend,  of  Chicago.  They  have  one  daughter 
Rita  Mitchell,  and  one  son,  Craig  Knowlton  Mit- 
chell. Mr.  Mitchell's  clubs  are  the  Metropolitan. 
Union  League,  Bankers,  Lawyers,  Whitehall  and 
Country. 


94 


M^:\V    YORK^OLD    AND  NFM 


SJAQ\  C.  RICHMOND 


Stacy  C.  Richmond,  recently  elected  President 
of  the  Niagara  Falls  Power  Company,  which  sup- 
plies power  to  the  industrial  plants  located  at  Niag- 
ara Falls  and  has  as  its  directors  some  of  the  most 
prominent  men  in  the  financial  world,  is  a  member 
of  the  old  and  well-known  bankmg  firm  of  Wms- 
low.  Lanier  &  Co.,  59  Cedar  Street. 

He  was  born  in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  August 
22,  1867,  the  son  of  James  H.  C.  and  Hannah 
Catherine  (Courtis)  Richmond,  whose  forebears 
settled  in  New  England  early  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  New  York 
and  at  Harvard  University,  graduating  from 
the  latter  in  I  890  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  He 
began  his  business  career  immediately  after  leavmg 
college  and  was  from  I  892  until  1  898  associated 
with  the  banking  house  of  Spencer  Trask  &  Co. 
He  then  organized  the  brokerage  firm  of  Rhoades 
&  Richmond,  and  conducted  a  prosperous  business 
until  1  905  when  he  became  a  partner  in  the  firm 
of  F.  S.  Moseley  &  Co.  He  remained  in  this 
capacity  until  1 909  when  he  formed  his  present 
connection. 

The  firm  of  Winslow,  Lanier  &  Co.  is  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  conservative  on  the  Street. 
It  succeeded  Winslow  &  Perkins  in  1849  and  dur- 
ing the  period  of  the  Civil  War  was  one  of  the 
most  active  banking  houses  in  the  country.  J.  F.  D. 
Lanier  was  the  first  of  that  family  identified  with 
the  firm.  He  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
it  is  told  of  him  that  during  the  troublesome 
times  of  the  Civil  War  he  loaned  that  State 
$600,000  without  security  at  the  outbreak  of 
the  Rebellion,  thereby  keeping  Indiana  in  the 
Lnion.     He  also  rendered  valuable  aid  to  the 


government  by  his  service  abroad  in  explaining 
and  floating  the  bond  issue  for  war  purposes.  His 
son,  Charles  Lanier,  succeeded  him  but  is  not  ac- 
tive now,  James  F.  D.  Lanier,  grandson  of  the 
founder,  being  the  present  active  member  of  that 
name.  These  two  with  Mr.  Richmond  and 
Robert  M.  Pettit  constitute  the  firm. 

The  house  conducts  an  old  fashioned  banking 
business  and  enjoys  a  high  reputation  both  in  this 
country  and  abroad.  It  is  the  only  financial  house 
on  the  Street  that  has  operated  continuously  fo; 
the  same  length  of  time  under  the  one  firm  name. 

Mr.  Richmond  is  a  member  of  the  Investment 
Bankers'  Association,  being  one  of  its  Board  of 
Governors  and  Chairman  of  the  Legislative  Com- 
mittee. In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  firm  of 
Winslow,  Lanier  &  Co.,  and  the  Presidency  of 
the  Niagara  Falls  Power  Company.  Mr.  Richmond 
IS  affiliated  with  many  other  railway,  financial 
and  commercial  organizations,  being  a  Director  in 
the  American  Cotton  Oil  Company,  the  Barney 
Estate  Company,  the  Cleveland  and  Pittsburgh 
Railroad  Company,  the  Compuling-Tabulating- 
Recording  Company,  the  Electric  Boat  Company, 
the  National  Securities  Corporation,  the  Niagara 
Development  Company,  the  Niagara  Junction  Rail- 
way, the  Pittsburgh,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago  Rail- 
way Company  and  the  Haytien-American  Corpo- 
ration. 

Mr.  Richmond  is  a  member  of  the  Harvard  and 
University  Clubs,  the  Down  Town  Association 
and  the  Richmond  County  Country  Club.  Mr. 
Richmond  was  married  in  1897  to  May  Morrill 
Dunn,  a  grand  niece  of  Charles  Lanier,  and  they 
have  three  sons.  He  resides  at  Dongan  Hills, 
Statcn  Island. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


95 


Stacy  C.  Richmond 


96 


NEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


LAWRENCE  MERTON  JACOBS 

Prominent  among  the  younger  generation  of 
New  York  bankers  is  Lawrence  M.  Jacob?,  Presi- 
dent of  the  International  Bank  and  a  specialist  in 
foreign  banking  and  finance.  He  was  born  in 
Sturgis,  Michigan,  April  15,  1878,  the  son  of 
Marion  and  Sarah  (Blue)  Jacobs,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago.  After 
graduating  from  the  University  of  Chicago  in 
1 899,  he  obtained  a  clerkship  in  the  Treasury 
Department  at  Washington  and  in  1 900  went  to 
the  Philippines  in  the  government  service,  be"o'Tli^^ 
Assistant  Statistician  of  the  Islands  and  later 
Deputy  of  the  Insular  Treasurer.  He  spent  most 
of  his  time  on  special  detail  as  Inspector  of  Customs 
Administration  and  Examiner  of  Banks  and  Pro- 
vincial Treasuries.  In  June,  1903,  he  left  the  Phil- 
ippines and  traveled  in  China,  Japan  and  Europe. 
Returning  to  New  York,  he  became  associated 


with  the  National  City  Bank,  serving  three  years 
in  the  Bond  Department  and  three  years  in  the 
Foreign  Department.  He  was  then  appointed 
European  representative  and  resided  in  London 
until  1915.  Upon  the  purchase  of  the  Inter- 
national Banking  Corporation  by  the  National  City 
Co.  he  was  made  Vice-President  and  was  elected 
President  of  the  International  Bank  in  January, 
1916.  He  maintains  his  direct  association  with 
the  National  City  Bank  as  a  member  of  the 
Branch  Bank  Committee,  which  has  charge  of  the 
organization  and  maintenance  of  the  bank's  foreign 
branches.  Mr.  Jacobs'  ancestors  were  among  the 
very  early  settlers  in  the  New  England  colonies 


and  participated  in  the  Indian  and  Revolutionary 
Wars.  He  is  a  memfjer  of  the  Beta  I  heta  Pi 
Fraternity,  the  Sleepy  Hollow  Country  Club,  the 
Whitehall  Club,  the  New  York  Genealogical  and 
Biographical  Society,  the  American  Academy  of 
Political  and  Social  Science,  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution,  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars,  the  Pil- 
grims and  is  a  Fellow  of  the  Institute  of  Bankers 
of  London.  He  was  married  in  August.  1906,  to 
Elizabeth  Williams,  daughter  of  the  late  Capt. 
S.  E.  Williams  of  New  York  City.  They  have 
three  children,  and  reside  in  Bronxville. 


LEWIS  EDMOND  WARING 

Lewis  E.  Waring,  well-known  sportsman  and 
member  of  the  prominent  banking  and  brokerage 
firm  of  Chandler  Bros.  &  Co.,  34  Pine  Street, 
New  York  City,  and  I  338  Chestnut  Street,  Phila- 
delphia, was  born  in  Philadelphia  in  1875.  He 
graduated  from  the  Worcester  Academy,  Worces- 
ter, Mass.,  in  1893,  and  then  entered  the  e.\- 
ecutive  offices  of  the  Standard  Oil  Co.,  New  York 
City.  He  was  far  some  time  Resident  Manager 
of  the  General  Manifolding  Co.,  and  later  became 
associated  with  the  banking  house  of  Harvey  Fisk 
6c  Sons,  and  afterwards  a  partner  in  the  firm  of 
Edward  Sweet  &  Co. 

In  December,  1914,  Mr.  Waring  and  Freder- 
ick T.  Chandler  merged  the  old  firm  of  Edward 
Sweet  &  Co.  with  the  banking  and  brokerage  firm 
of  Chandler  Bros.  &  Co.,  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  forming  one  of  the  most  energetic 
and  progressive  stock  and  bond  houses  in  the 
country.  Mr.  Waring  is  President  and  Director 
of  the  Cuban  Oil  Co.,  a  Director  of  the  Chese- 
brough  Manufacturing  Co.,  Wharton  Steel  Co., 
Wharton  &  Northern  Railway  Co.  and  Plainfield 
1  rust  Co.,  and  is  Secretary  and  1  reasurer  of  the 
Manhattan  Copper  Exploration  Co.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Brook  Club,  Vice-President  of 
the  Calumet  Club,  Vice-President  and  Steward  of 
the  United  Hunts  Racing  Association,  member  of 
the  Piping  Rock  Racing  Association,  Rumson 
Country  Club.  United  Hunts  of  Virginia,  l  urf 
and  Field  Club,  Keswick  Hunt  Club,  of  Keswick. 
Va.,  Lido  Golf  Club.  Long  Beach  Baltusvol 
Golf  Club,  the  Racquet  Club  of  Philadelphia. 
Pa.,  and  the  Metropolitan  Club  of  Washington. 
Mr.  Waring  has  for  many  years  taken  an 
active  interest  in  amateur  racing  and  has  served 
as  an  official  at  many  of  the  most  prominent  meets. 
He  has  acted  as  judge  at  horse  shows  throughout 
the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  in  this  con- 
nection is  recognized  as  most  efficient  and  pains- 
taking. He  was  married,  October  8,  1901,  to 
Louise  Green  Fisk  and  makes  his  home  in  Plain- 
field,  N.  J.,  with  a  summer  residence  at  Rumson. 
New  Jersey. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


97 


WALTER  EDWIN  FREW 
Walter  E.  Frew,  who  at  a  comparatively  early 
age  rose  to  the  Presidency  of  one  of  New  York's 
greatest  banking  institutions,  was  born  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  July  18,  1864.  the  son  of  George 
Edward  and  Amanda  (Crooker)  Frew.  On  the 
paternal  side  Mr.  Frew  is  of  Scottish  extraction 
and  his  mother's  immediate  ancestors  were  French 
Huguenots,  who  came  to  this  country  at  the  time 
of  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nanteis.  He 
was  educated  at  private  and  public  schools  in 
Brooklyn  and  began  his  business  career  in  1879, 
with  the  stock  brokerage  firm  of  Shepherd,  Knapp 
&  Co.,  of  New  York  City.  He  remained  with 
this  house  until  1885,  when  he  became  a  clerk 
in  the  Eleventh  Ward  Bank  and  from  that  period 
his  advance  in  financial  matters  was  steady.  He 
became  thoroughly  conversant  with  every  detail  of 
the  busineiss  while  connected  with  the  Eleventh 
Ward  Bank,  and  was  well  equipped  for  higher 
positions  when  he  accepted  the  Cashiership  of  the 
Queens  County  Bank,  Long  Island  City,  in  1889. 
He  was  advanced  to  the  Presidency  in  1  890  and 
continued  as  such  until  I  899  when  he  was  chosen 
Vice-Preoident  of  the  powerful  Corn  Exchange 
Bank,  of  New  York  City.  Mr.  Frew's  execu- 
tive ability  and  power  of  direction  were  of  Such 
a  character  that  he  was  made  President  of  the 
bank  in  1911,  succeeding  William  A.  Nash,  who 
was  advanced  to  the  position  of  chairman  of  the 
board.  In  addition  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Corn 
Exchange  Bank,  Mr.  Frew  is  Vice-President  and 
Director  of  the  Corn  Exchange  Safe  Deposit  Co., 
a  Director  of  the  Bankers'  Trust  Co.,  the  Queens 
County  Safe  Deposit  Co.,  the  Metropolitan  Cas- 
ualty Insurance  Co.  of  New  York,  the  United 
Button  Co.,  and  is  a  Trustee  of  the  Dry  Dock 
Savings  Bank.  He  was  Secretary  of  the  New 
York  Clearing  House  from  1904  until  1906  and 
a  member  of  its  Loan  Committee  during  the  panic 
of  1907,  when  aid  was  rendered  to  many  finan- 
cial institutions.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New 
York  State  Bankers'  Association,  of  which  he  was 
formerly  Secretary,  and  is  an  ex-Chairman  of 
Group  7,  of  Long  Island,  a  branch  of  the  asso- 
ciation. He  is  also  a  member  of  St.  Andrew's 
Society  of  New  York,  the  Masonic  Fraternity,  the 
Union  League,  Metropolitan  and  Lotos  Clubs  of 
New  York  City,  and  the  Garden  City,  and  Gar- 
den City  Golf  Club  of  Garden  City.  L.  I.  Mr. 
Frew  was  married  July  28,  1888.  to  Ella  Louise 
Carman  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Helen 
Louise  Frew.  Mr.  Frew's  business  address  is 
1 3  William  Street  and  he  resides  at  1  76  Fulton 
Street.  Hempstead,  L.  I. 


DAVIS  BARNES 
One  of  the  most  conspicuous  figures  on  the  floor 
of  the  Stock  Exchange  is  Davis  Barnes,  successful 
broker  and  well-known  club  man.  Mr.  Barnes 
is  of  commanding  physique  and  jolly  temperament 
and  is  a  raconteur  of  more  than  usual  ability. 
His  extreme  good  nature  is  one  of  his  greatest 
assets  and  he  is  rarely  seen  without  a  genial  femile 
and  a  jocular  remark.  He  was  born  in  New 
York  City  in  1859  and  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  the  metropolis.  Immediately  after 
the  finish  of  his  studies  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Leland  Bros.,  where  he  quickly  learned  the  details 
of  the  brokerage  business.     He  retained  this  con- 


nection for  two  years  and  in  1  880  began  business 
on  his  own  account.  He  acquired  membership  in 
the  New  York  Stock  Exchange  and  organized  the 
firm  of  Barnefe  Brothers,  which  for  over  thirty-five 
years  has  conducted  a  successful  general  brokerage 
business.  Mr.  Barnes  gives  personal  attention  to  the 
many  customers  of  the  firm  and  can  always  be 
found  hard  at  wcn-k,  during  business  hours,  on  the 
tenth  floor  of  the  building,  66  Broadway.  He  is 
a  bachelor  and  is  greatly  interested  in  open  air 
sports.  He  holds  membership  in  the  New  York 
Yacht  Club,  the  Racquet  Club,  the  Brook  Club 
and  the  Union  Club. 


98 


NEIV    YORK^OI.D    AND  NEW 


ELBRIDGE  GERRY  SNOW 

Fifty-five  years  of  continuous  service  wilh  the 
Home  Insurance  Co.  makes  Elbridgc  G.  Snow, 
its  President,  the  dean  of  fire  insurance  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Snow  became  a  clerk  in  the  main 
office  of  the  company  in  1 862,  and  in  the  in- 
tervening yeaos  rose  through  the  various  positions 
to  that  of  executive  head.  He  was  born  January 
22,  1841,  in  Barkhampstead,  Conn.,  and  after 
attending  the  district  and  high  school,  graduated 
from  the  Ft.  Edward  (N.  Y.)  Institute.  He 
studied  law  but  did  not  take  up  its  practice,  accept- 
ing instead  a  position  with  an  insurance  firm  in 
\X'aterbury.  Conn.  In  1862  he  came  to  New 
York   City   to   fill   a   clerkship   with   the  Home 


Insurance  Co.,  and  retained  that  position  for  nme 
years  when  he  was  sent  to  Boston,  as  State  Agent 
for  the  company  for  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 
At  the  same  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Hollis  &  Snow,  which  represented  some  of  the  best 
companies  doing  business  in  Boston.  He  returned 
to  New  York  City  in  1  885,  to  become  Secretary 
of  the  company,  and  was  advanced  to  the  Vice- 
Presidency  in  1 888.  In  1 904  he  was  chosen 
President  and  still  fills  that  important  position.  Mr. 
Snow,  in  addition  to  this  connection,  is  a  Trustee 
of  the  New  ^'ork  Life  Insurance  Co.  and  a 
Director  of  the  American  Exchange  National 
Bank,  the  United  States  Mortgage  and  Trust  Co., 
and  the  Manhattan  Railway  Co.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  League,  Lotos,  Bankers,  Sleepy 
Hollow,  Indian  Harbor  Yacht,  and  Underwriters' 


C  lubs,  till'  American  Museum  ol  Natural  1  listory, 
the  Museum  of  Art.  the  Municipal  Art  Society, 
the  New  England  Society  and  the  Mayflower  So- 
ciety, and  other  similar  associations. 

SAMUEL  McROBERTS 

A  most  valuable  western  contribution  to  New 
York  City's  financial  circles  is  Samuel  McRoberts, 
Executive  Manager  of  the  National  City  Bank, 
who  was  born  in  Malta  Bend,  Missouri.  He  was 
awarded  the  degrees  of  A.  B.  and  A.  M.  by 
Baker  University,  (rom  which  he  graduated  in 
1891,  afterwards  taking  up  the  study  of  law  at 
the  University  of  Michigan,  obtaining  the  LL.  B. 
degree  in  1893.  He  practiced  his  profession 
lor  two  years  and  then  became  associated  with  the 
legal  department  of  Armour  &  Co.  He  was 
eventually  transferred  to  the  financial  department 
of  the  same  house  and  was  its  1  reasurer  from 
1904  until  1909,  when  he  was  elected  Vice- 
,,f  the  National  City  Bank.  He  i? 
'  li  ii.iiMn  ol  the  Board  of  the  National  City  C'j. 
uicl  .1  Diiertoi  of  the  .American  Sugar  Refin  na 
C  o.,  Armour  (k  Co.,  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works, 
Chuago.  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway  Co., 
National  Surety  Co.,  Kansas  City  Southern  Rail- 
way, Virginian  Railway  Co.,  German-American 
Insurance  Co.  and  several  other  railroad  and  fi- 
nancial companies.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Kappa 
Sigma  Fraleinity,  the  Metropolitan,  Links  and  Ra:- 
quet  and  renins  ('|iil)>  of  New  York  City,  the 
Metro|)olitaii  (  lul)  ol  Washington,  and  the  Chi- 
cago and  University  C  lubs  of  Chicago. 


COVERT  LE  FEVRE  GOODLOVE 
Covert  L.  Goodlove,  who  manages  the  branch 
office  of  the  Stock  Exchange  firm  of  Crawford, 
Patton  &  Cannon,  in  the  St.  Andrews  Hotel, 
Seventy-second  Street  and  Broadway,  is  one  of 
the  younger  coterie  of  bankers  and  brokers  that 
has  been  successful  in  the  financial  world.  Mr. 
Goodlove  was  born  in  Logan  County,  Ohio,  in 
1879,  and  was  educated  at  the  George  Wash- 
ington (formerly  Columbian)  University,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  from  wliicli  he  graduated  in  1899. 
He  took  up  financi..!  pursuils  after  leaving  col- 
lege and  was  for  some  time  manager  of  the  West 
End  Branch  of  the  United  States  Mortgage  and 
Trust  Co.,  New  York  City.  When  the  Spanish- 
American  war  broke  out,  Mr.  Goodlove  was  only 
eighteen  years  of  age,  yet,  despite  his  youth,  he 
served  in  the  paymaster's  department  of  the  U.  S. 
Navy.  He  is  a  member  of  the  New  Yor'< 
Athletic,  Larchmont  Yacht,  and  Ridgewood 
Country  Clubs  of  New  York,  the  Hamilton  Club 
of  Paterson,  N.  J.,  and  the  Kappa  Sigma  Fra- 
ternity. His  home  is  at  Ridgewood,  N.  J.,  and 
he  has  a  country  residence  in  Rockland  County, 
New  York. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


99 


FRANK  E.  BRIGHTMAN 


Frank  E.  Brightman,  who  after  fifteen  years' 
successful  practice  as  a  lawyer  launched  into  com- 
mercial pursuits,  was  born  in  Gaylord,  Michigan, 
January  19,  1878.  He  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  the  University  of  Washington, 
afterwards  studying  law  in  the  office  of  Hon. 
R.  A.  Ballinger,  who  was  Secretary  of  the  In- 
terior under  President  William  H.  Taft.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  January,  1903,  and 
began  practice  immediately  in  Seattle,  Washington. 
He  soon  built  up  a  large  clientele  and  became  in- 
terested in  many  of  Seattle's  industries.  His  ai- 
tention  was  finally  directed  to  the  possibility  of  oil 
land  development,  through  several  friends,  who 
were  in  the  banking  business  and  largely  inter- 
ested in  the  exploitation  of  Wyoming  oil  lands. 
Mr.  Brightman  made  a  trip  to  that  state  to  in- 
vestigate conditions  and  found  them  so  satisfactory 
that  he  determined  to  relinquish  his  legal  practice 
and  give  his  undivided  time  to  the  oil  business. 
His  repo;t  on  Wyoming  led  the  syndicate  to  ac- 
quire a  total  of  I  1,000  acres  of  valuable  oil  lands 
and  ou':  of  this  purchase  grew  the  Allen  Oil  Com- 
pany and  ihs  Wyoming  Eastern  Oil  Company, 
both  of  which  the  syndicate  still  control,  Mr. 
Brightman  being  Secretary-Treasurer  of  the  first- 
named  corporation.  He  later  personally  acquired 
valuable  trac's  of  oil  land  in  Kansas,  Kentucky 
and  Wyoiring,  which  are  now  awaiting  develop- 


ment and  give  promise  of  large  production.  Mr. 
Brightman  came  to  New  York  February  2 1 , 
1914,  in  order  la  be  in  closer  touch  with  pos- 
sible investors  in  oil  stocks,  it  being  conceded  by 
financiers  that  the  growing  demand  for  oil  makes 
production  companies  the  best  possible  investment 
and  that  New  York  is  one  of  the  best  cities  in 
the  country  to  support  absolutely  legitimate  en- 
terprise. 

After  coming  here  Mr.  Brightman  aided  in 
the  organization  of  the  Knickerbocker- Wyoming 
Oil  Company,  of  which  he  became  Secretary- 
Treasurer.  This  company  owns  valuable  acreage 
in  Wyoming  and  Nebraska  and  promises  to  be  a 
large  paying  proposition.  In  addition  to  his  in- 
terest in  oil  field  development,  Mr.  Brightman  is 
a  Director  of  the  Leschi  Ice  Company,  of  Seattle, 
Washington,  the  Se.nttle  Taxicab  and  Transfer 
Company,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  companies 
in  that  line  in  the  Western  Country,  the  Com- 
mercial Fruit  Lands  Comjpany  of  Seattle  and 
Robert  A.  Grant  &  Co.,  Inc.,  stock  brokerage  and 
bond  houses  in  Washington's  leading  city.  He  is 
also  a  Director  in  a  dozen  other  commercial  en- 
terprises, all  located  in  Seattle.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  fraternity,  the  Arctic 
Club,  the  Jefferson  Park  Golf  Club  ot  Seattle 
and  the  Seattle  Bar  Association.  Mr.  Bright- 
man's  offices  are  at  80  Wall  Street. 


100 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


SCANDINAVIAN 

The  Scandinavian  Trust  Company,  chartered 
under  the  banking  laws  of  the  State  of  New  "^'ork, 
was  organized  to  meet  the  increased  financial  re- 
sponsibilities developed  as  a  result  of  the  European 
war.  This  institution  began  busmess  at  56  Broad- 
way on  June  II,  1917,  with  a  paid-m  capital 
and  surplus  of  $2,500,000.  The  Scandinavian 
Trust  Company  owes  its  establishment  primarily 
to  the  thought  and  efforts  of  prominent  Norwegian 
bankers,  among  whom  are  S.  E.  Dahl.  of  the 
Centralbanken  for  Norge,  Christiania ;  G.  Kam- 


/ 


Alexander  V.  Ostrom 

strop  Hegge.  of  Den  Norske  Creditbank  of  Chris- 
tiania; Knut  Bachke,  of  the  Andresens  Bank  of 
Christiania,  and  Chr.  Bonge,  of  Bergens  Kredit- 
bank,  Bergen.  1  hese  gentlemen  came  to  this 
country  with  that  purpose  in  mind  last  winter  and 
were  successful  in  interesting  New  York  bankers 
and  business  men  in  the  enterprise.  The  executive 
head  of  the  new  institution  is  Alexander  V.  Ost- 
rom, a  former  Vice-President  of  the  Northwestern 
National  Bank  of  Minneapolis,  which  position  he 
resigned  to  become  President  of  the  Scandinavian 
Trust  Company.  Mr.  Ostrum  has  been  in  the 
banking  business  for  the  past  twenty  years.  Shortly 
after  graduating  from  school  he  entered  the  Swed- 
ish-American National  Bank  as  messenger,  and 
when  that  institution  was  merged  with  the  North- 
western National  Bank  he  became  Assistant 
Cashier.  A  few  years  afterward  he  was  advanced 
to  the  position  of  Vice-President.  He  is  well 
known  throughout  Minnesota  and  the  Northwest. 


lUS  r  COMPANY' 

B.  E.  Smythe,  Vice-President  and  Secretary, 
is  President  of  the  Gramatan  National  Bank, 
Bronxville,  N.  Y.,  and  has  been  in  the  banking 
business  for  the  past  twenty  years  in  New  York 
City  and  Westchester  County,  and  is  well  known  to 
the  banking  fraternity  in  the  metropolitan  district. 

Maurice  F.  Bayard,  Treasurer  of  the  Indiana 
Trust  Company,  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  has  recently 
been  elected  Treasurer  of  the  Scandinavian  Trust 
Company  and  will  assume  his  duties  with  this 
company  on  December  1st.  Mr.  Bayard  has  been 
associated  for  a  number  of  years  with  banks  in 
St.  Louis  and  Indianapolis,  and  is  well  known  in 
these  sections. 

Danforth  Cardozo,  Assistant  Secretary  and 
1  rust  Officer,  resigned  as  Registrar  of  the  Frank- 
lin Trust  Company  to  accept  his  present  position. 

The  Directors  of  the  Scandinavian  Trust  Com- 
pany are : 

Jobs.  Andersen  J.  Andersen  &  Co. 

Knut  Bachke  Andresens  Bank,  Christiania 

Philip  G.  Bartlett.  .Simpson,  Thacher  &  Bartlett 
Charles  E.  Bedford  .  .  Vice  Pres.,  Vacuum  Oil  Co. 
James  F.  Bell, 

Vice-Pres.,  Washburn-Crosby  Co.,  Minneapolis 
John  E.  Berwind, 

Vice-Pres.,  Berwind-Whitc  Coal  Mining  Co. 
R.  R.  Brown, 

First  Vice-President,  American  Surety  Co. 
William  R.  Coe-  .  .Chairman,  Johnson  &  Higgins 
Gerhard  M.  Dahl. 

Vice-President,  Chase  National  Bank 
S.  E.  Dahl.  .Centralbanken  for  Norge,  Christiania 
W.  Edward  Foster, 

Treasurer,  American  Sugar  Refining  Co. 

Samuel  L.  Fuller  Kissel,  Kinnicutt  &  Co. 

Edward  F.  Geer  Shipowner 

Charles  S.  Haight .  .  .  .Haight,  Sanford  &  Smith 
G.  Kamstrup  Hegge, 

Den  Norske  Creditbank.  Christiania 

Edwin  O.  Holter  Attorney 

Frederick  W.  Hvoslef .  .  .Bennett,  Hvoslef  &  Co. 

N.  Bruce  MacKelvie  Hayden,  Stone  &  Co. 

Alexander  V.  Ostrom  President 

Birger  Osland.  .General  Western  Agent,  Norwe- 
gian-American Line,  Chicago. 
E.  A.  Cappelen  Smith.  .  .  .Guggenheim  Brothers 
Thomas  Thacher.  .  .Simpson.  I  hacher  &  Bartlett 
Niel  A.  Weathers.  .  .Simpson,  Thacher  &  Bartlett 
The  company  also  has  a  Norwegian  Advisory 
Board,  which  is  composed  of  the  following  gentle- 
men : 

Chr.  Bonge  Bergens  Kreditbank,  Bergen 

Kr.  Jebsen  Bergens  Privatbank,  Bergen 

E.  Skogstad, 

Christiania  Bank  of  Kreditkasse,  Christiania 
Chr.    I  haulow. 

Den  Nordenfjeldske  Kreditbank,  Trondhjem. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


101 


JOSEPH  TRUn  T  TALBER  l 
Joseph  T.  Talbert,  Vice-President  of  the  Na- 
tional City  Bank,  had  a  wide  and  varied  ex- 
perience in  financial  matters  before  permanently 
locating  in  New  York  City.  He  was  born  in 
Hardy,  Mississippi,  August  15,  1866,  the  son  of 


James  S.  and  Margaret  (Gattis)  Talbert.  Af- 
ter a  two  year  term  at  the  University  of  Missis- 
sippi, he  became,  in  1887,  Assistant  Cashier  and 
later  Cashier  of  the  San  A.ngelo  (Texas)  National 
Bank.  He  retained  this  connection  until  1 889, 
when  he  was  made  Assistant  Cashier  and  subse- 
quently Vice-President  of  the  Farmers'  National 
Bank,  of  Fort  Worth,  Texas.  He  resigned  this 
position  in  1894  to  become  National  Bank  Ex- 
aminer for  the  west  and  southwest  district,  com- 
prising Texas,  Louisiana,  Oklahoma,  Colorado, 
A.rkansas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Utah,  Wyom.- 
ing,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  with  headquarters 
at  Chicago.  He  was  appointed  Receiver  of  the 
Union  National  Bank  of  Denver  in  1895,  and 
of  the  American  National  Bank,  of  the  same  city, 
m  1896.  During  1896  and  1897  he  was 
National  Bank  Examiner  in  Chicago.  He  then 
served  as  Cashier  of  the  Commercial  National 
Bank  of  Chicago  from  1897  until  1904  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  same  institution  until  1909,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  Vice-President  of  the 
National  City  Bank  and  a  Director  of  the  Con- 
tinental and  Commercial  National  Bank,  formerly 
the  Commercial  National,  of  Chicago.     Mr.  Tal- 


bert was  President  of  the  Chicago  Clearing 
House  Association,  1908-9,  and  has  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Currency  Commission  of  the  American 
Bankers'  Association  since  1906.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chi  Psi  Fraternity,  a  thirty-second  de- 
gree Mason  and  a  Shriner.  His  club  affiliations 
are  the  Metropolitan,  Union  League  of  New  York 
City,  the  Chicago,  University,  and  Chicago  Golf 
of  Chicago,  of  which  he  was  at  one  time  President; 
Golf  Clubs,  Apawamis,  Sleepy  Hollow.  Garden 
City,  Nassau,  Piping  Rock  and  National  Golf 
Links. 


GEORGE  MASON  LA  MONTE 
George  M.  La  Monte,  prominent  in  the  political 
affairs  in  New  Jersey,  was  born  in  Danville,  Vir- 
ginia, June  4,  1  863.  His  education  was  received 
at  Columbia  College  and  Wesleyan  University. 
He  is  President  of  George  La  Monte  &  Son, 
paper  manufacturers,  and  of  George  La  Monte 
&  Son,  Ltd.,  Toronto,  Canada,  and  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank,  of  Bound 
Brook,  N.  J.  He  was  elected  to  the  New- 
Jersey  Assembly  in  1910  and  the  following 
year  was  appointed  Commissioner  of  Banking  and 
Insurance  by  Governor  Wilson  and  reappointed 
by  Governor  Fielder.  He  served  as  Vice-Chair- 
man  of  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank  of  Phila- 
delphia for  a  year,  but  became  ineligible  for  the 
position  when  the  New  Jersey  banks  were  trans- 


ferred to  the  New  York  zone.  He  is  Treasurer 
of  the  Westerly  Gardens  Corporation,  which  is 
engaged  in  building  model  homes  for  workingmen 
at  Bound  Brook,  N.  J.,  and  is  a  member  of  many 
clubs. 


102 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


THEODORE  H.  BANKS 


Through  the  whole  of  his  business  career  Mr. 
Theodore  H.  Banks  has  been  immersed  in  the 
larger  activities  of  the  financial  district  of  the 
metropolis.  Identified  practically  from  the  first  \\ith 
Harvey  Fisk  and  Sons  he  was  a  member  of  that 
firm  during  the  period  of  its  greatest  expansion  and 
development  and  took  a  conspicuous  part  in  many  of 
its  most  momentous  financial  undertakings — opera- 
tions of  almost  epoch-making  magnitude  and  sig- 
nificance upon  the  successful  handling  of  which 
securely  rests  the  present  high  standing  and  repu- 
tation, in  New  York  and  throughout  the  country, 
of  the  name  of  Harvey  Fisk  and  Sons.  Mr.  Banks' 
training  and  experience  have  given  him  an  excep- 
tionally thorough  grasp  of  the  multiplicity  of  intri- 
cate problems  encountered  in  the  world  of  modern 
finance,  in  their  relation  to  the  country's  indus- 
trial, transportation  and  kindred  enterprises;  and 
as  a  Vice-President  of  the  American  Exchange 
National  Bank  and  as  a  Director  of  a  number  of 
other  important  corporations,  his  influence  con- 
tinues to  be  exerted  in  these  fields  of  endeavor. 

Theodore  H.  Banks  was  born  in  the  City  of 
New  York,  December  23,  1866.  His  father  was 
Edward  M..  and  his  mother  Maria  B.  (Fleet) 
Banks;  both  parents  being  descended  from  Eng- 
lish ancestry. 


Mr.  Banks  received  his  educational  training  in 
the  public  and  in  private  schools  in  New  York 
City. 

He  entered  upon  his  career  in  the  financial  cir- 
cles of  New  York  as  a  clerk  in  the  employ  of 
Fisk  and  Hatch.  His  next  experience  was  gained 
as  a  clerk  with  the  firm  of  Harvey  Fisk  and  Sons, 
of  which  concern  he  later  became  a  member;  and 
in  this  capacity  played  a  leading  part  in  the  di- 
rection of  its  affairs  during  the  succeeding  twenty- 
one  years.  At  the  close  of  this  period,  in  1915, 
he  retired  from  active  business. 

In  October,  1916,  Mr.  Banks  was  chosen  a 
Vice-President  of  the  American  Exchange  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  in  addition  to  holding  this  office 
he  is  a  Trustee  of  the  North  River  Savings 
Bank,  a  Director  of  the  Commercial  Union  Fire 
Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  of  the  Taylor- 
Wharton  Iron  and  Steel  Company  and  of  the 
General  Baking  Company. 

Mr.  Banks'  clubs  include  Union  League,  Met- 
ropolitan, the  Bankers'  Club  of  New  York 
City,  and  the  Rumson  Country  Club,  of  Rumson, 
New  Jersey. 

He  was  married  January  23,  1895,  to  Miss 
Maude  A.  Bowers,  and  has  two  sons — Theodore 
H.,  Jr.,  and  W.  Dinsmore  Banks. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


103 


J.  H.  FULTON 


In  keeping  with  its  policy  to  have  the  best  finan 
ciers  in  the  country  direct  its  various  departments 
the  National  City  Bank  recently  secured  the  serv 
ices  of  J.  H.  Fulton  as  one  of  its  Vice-Presidents 
Mr.  Fulton's  fitness  for  the  position  is  unquestioned 
as  few  bankers  in  the  country  have  had  the  train- 
ing that  brought  him  to  leadership  in  the  financial 
circles  of  New  Orleans,  La.,  where  he  was  Presi- 
dent of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  and  the 
Commercial  Trust  and  Savings  Bank.  Mr. 
Fulton  is  still  a  young  man,  despite  the  fact 
that  his  banking  experience  extends  over  a  period 
of  thirty-five  years.  1  wenty  years  of  this  time 
was  spent  as  the  executive  head  of  banking  in- 
stitutions of  New  Orleans  and  although  a  Cana- 
dian by  birth,  it  was  in  the  Southern  city  that  he 
attained  a  national  reputation  as  a  banker. 

Mr.  Fulton  was  born  in  Cote  Des  Neiges.  Mon- 
treal. He  began  his  banking  experience  as  an 
employe  of  the  Merchants'  Bank  of  Canada  in 
1883.  After  four  years  with  the  Merchants' 
Bank  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Canadian  Bank 
of  Commerce,  where  to  all  intents  and  purposes 
he  remained  until  he  joined  the  staff  of  the  Na- 


tional City  Bank.  That  was  because  the  Com- 
mercial National  Bank  of  New  Orleans  is  a  de- 
velopment from  a  branch  bank  established  in  New 
Orleans  by  the  Canadian  Bank  of  Commerce  in 
1898  with  Mr.  Fulton  as  Manager.  He  organ- 
ized the  Commercial  National  Bank  in  1901  and 
the  trust  company  in  1 902.  He  was  Manager 
of  both  institutions  for  ten  years  before  he  was 
elected  President.  Mr.  Fulton  also  organized 
other  banks.  He  is  President  of  the  First 
National  Bank  of  McComb,  Miss.,  and  a  Director 
of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of  Rayne,  La., 
which  he  organized  in  1902. 

Mr.  Fulton  has  been  active  in  the  councils  of 
both  State  and  National  bankers.  He  is  a  former 
President  of  Louisiana  Bankers'  Association,  of 
which  he  was  also  Chairman  of  the  Executive 
Council;  Vice-President  of  the  New  Orleans  Clear- 
ing House  Association,  and  is  Chairman  of  the 
Legislative  Committee  of  the  American  Bankers' 
Association.  In  addition,  Mr.  Fulton  is  identified 
with  a  number  of  the  important  industrial  enter- 
prises of  New  Orleans.  He  is  President  of  the 
Audubon  Golf  Club  and  Chairman  of  the  Finance 
Committee  of  the  New  Orleans  Country  Club. 


104 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


JOHN  BORG 


Experience  alone  does  not  always  bring  success 
in  financial  pursuits  for  there  are  thousands  in  the 
field  who  occupy  mediocre  positions  because  they 
possess  but  this  one  requisite.  It  is  the  man  who 
has  wide  knowledge,  gained  by  years  of  associa- 
tion with  monied  affairs,  and  possesses  in  addition 
a  keen  foresight,  a  shrewd  knowledge  of  the  mar- 
ket and  an  inherent  executive  ability  who  rises 
above  the  ordinary.  This  at  least  has  been  the 
experience  of  John  Borg,  who  started  in  a  humble 
position  with  a  financial  firm  and  rose  to  be  a 
specialist  in  bond  issues  and  a  dominant  figure  in 
the  financing  of  big  corporations. 

Mr.  Borg  was  born  in  Union  Hill,  New  Jersey, 
May  24,  1883,  and  after  education  at  the  public 
schools  and  graduation  from  the  High  School  be- 
gan his  business  career  as  a  quotation  boy  on  the 
New  York  Curb  for  the  Stock  Exchange  firm  of 
Williamson  &  Squire  in  March,  1899.  He  was 
trading  for  his  firm  two  years  later  and  in  1902 
his  aptitude  and  quick  grasp  of  conditions  led  to 
his  selection  as  specialist  in  the  common  and  pre- 
ferred issues  of  the  American  Can  Company's 
stock.  He  continued  in  this  position  until  1907. 
when  the  issues  were  listed  on  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchange. 

The  next  move  of  Mr.  Borg  in  the  financial 
field  was  in  the  development,  for  the  same  firm, 
of  a  large  general  trading  business  in  the  underly- 
ing securities  of  the  Public  Service  Corporation  of 
New  Jersey.       This  work  kept  him  busy  until 


1908,  when  he  decided  to  divert  his  tastes  for 
financial  pursuits  to  his  own  use  and  accordingly 
started  in  business  for  himself,  with  a  membershit) 
in  the  New  York  Curb  Market  Association.  Mr. 
Borg's  experience  with  the  firm  of  Williamson  & 
Squire  had  been  varied  and  useful.  It  had  con- 
vinced him  that  he  possessed  the  necessary  qualifi- 
cations for  organization  work  and  in  the  nine  years 
that  have  passed  since  he  began  operating  for  him- 
self he  has  figured  in  some  most  important  work. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  developing  the  pri- 
vate banking  business  to  extend  credit  to  brokers 
on  collateral  not  acceptable  in  general  banking 
loans,  thus  extending  facilities  to  Curb  brokers 
which  helped  greatly  in  the  development  of 
the  New  York  Curb  Market.  Early  in  1916 
he  added  to  his  business  of  financing  individuals 
and  firms  the  financing  of  corporations.  During 
this  period  he  successfully  financed  three  corpora- 
tions which  have  been  notable  successes  in  then 
respective  fields.  These  were  the  Federal  Oil 
Company,  the  Big  Ledge  Copper  Company  and 
the  Great  Western  Smelter  Corporation.  Mr. 
Borg  has  a  great  amount  of  similar  work  under 
consideration  and  he  is  recognized  on  the  Street 
as  an  expert  in  this  phase  of  the  business,  possess- 
ing the  seeming  power  to  instantly  see  the  possibil- 
ities of  a  submitted  proposition  and  to  act  quickly 
and  decisively.  Mr.  Borg  is  a  progressive  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  has  no  club  affiliations. 
His  offices  are  at  30  Broad  Street. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


105 


Metropolitan  Life  Insurance    Building  and  Madison  Square 


106 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


107 


ALFRED  H.  EBERT 


Alfred  H.  Ebert,  who  has  been  unusually  suc- 
cessful in  financial  affairs  since  coming  to  New 
York  three  years  ago,  was  born  in  Arcadia,  Mich- 
igan, February  26,  1884.  He  was  educated  in 
public  and  private  schools.  After  finishing  his 
education  he  went  to  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and 
secured  a  position  with  the  Allis-Chalmers  Com- 
pany, which  he  retained  until  I  908.  His  inclina- 
tion being  for  a  financial  career,  his  first  connection 
with  New  York  banking  was  begun  with  the 
house  of  Henry  L.  Doherty  &  Co.,  where  he  re- 
mained for  five  years.  This  was  his  first  entry  in- 
to the  New  York  financial  field  and  after  a  service 
of  five  years  with  this  house,  he  decided  to  embark 
in  business  on  his  own  account.  He  organized  the 
firm  of  Alfred  H.  Ebert  &  Co.,  with  offices  at  60 
Broadway,  in  1914,  and  since  that  tune  has  been 
an  active  figure  in  the  investment,  security  and 
brokerage  line.  One  of  the  largest  transactions  of 
this  house  was  the  underwriting  in  May,  1917,  of 
$1,000,000  seven  per  cent,  preferred  stock  of  the 
Knickerbocker- Wyoming  Oil  Company,  in  which 
Mr.  Ebert  is  one  of  the  largest  stockholders. 

The  firm  of  which  Mr.  Ebert  is  the  senior 
member  has  been  very  successful.  It  has  a  large 
clientele  and  in  addition  to  the  transaction  for 
the  Knickerbocker- Wyoming  Oil  Co.  has  handled 


some  very  important  financial  deals.  The  male 
members  of  Mr.  Ebert's  family,  both  on  the  pa- 
ternal and  maternal  sides,  have  been  very  success- 
lul  in  business  and  all  have  accumulated  large 
fortunes,  several  of  them  being  rated  as  mil- 
lionaires. 

They  have  all  been  engaged  in  dredging,  dock 
and  ship  building,  structural  iron  and  steel  manu- 
facturing and  have  successfully  conducted  some 
of  the  largest  operations  in  the  Middle  West.  In 
addition  to  his  interest  in  the  firm  which  he  or- 
ganized and  the  Knickerbocker- Wyoming  Oil 
Company,  Mr.  Ebert  is  a  Director  in  the  Arcadia 
Furniture  Company  and  the  Henry  Starke  Land 
&  Lumber  Co.  of  Arcadia,  Michigan.  Both 
these  companies  are  dividend  paying  and  Mr. 
Ebert  and  other  members  of  his  family  are  the 
majority  stockholders.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
largest  stockholders  in  the  Arcadia  &  Betsey 
River  Railroad  Company,  an  organization  con- 
trolled by  the  Henry  Starke  Land  &  Lumber 
Company.  Mr.  Ebert  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
but  has  never  been  a  candidate  for  public  office. 
While  a  resident  of  Milwaukee  he  was  a  member 
of  all  the  leading  clubs  and  since  his  residence  in 
New  York  City  has  joined  a  number  of  social, 
civic  and  business  bodies. 


108 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


WILLIAM  STAKE  &  CO.  INC. 


Over  a  half  century  of  business,  conducted 
along  lines  of  undeviating  honor  and  strict  integ- 
rity, has  given  William  Stake  &  Co.,  Inc.,  the 
highest  reputation  among  insurance  men  and  the 
various  commercial  houses  and  maritime  interests 
with  whom  they  come  in  contact.  The  firm  is 
one  ol  the  oldest  m  its  line  in  New  York  City, 
the  business  having  been  established  by  William 
Stake  in  1 860.  He  was  rated  as  an  expert  in- 
surance man  and  the  business  grew  to  large  pro- 
portions in  the  forty-five  years  that  he  was  active. 
He  died  in  1  905  and  the  business  was  taken  over 
by  his  son-in-law.  Otto  P.  Heyn,  who  conducted 
it  until  the  incorporation  of  the  present  company 
in  1913,  Mr.  Heyn  dying  two  years  later.  Un- 
der the  mcorporation  O.  H.  Wipprecht  became 
President,  Otto  P.  Heyn,  a  grandson  of  the 
founder,  became  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents,  as 
representative  of  his  father's  and  grandfather's  in- 
terest, the  other  Vice-Presidents  being  W.  J.  Bel- 
Imgham  and  Frederick  Miller.  William  E. 
Heyn  was  chosen  Treasurer  and  William  H.  Ben- 
nett, Secretary.  Under  the  guidance  of  these 
gentlemen  the  traditions  of  the  old  house  have  been 
upheld  and  no  concern  in  the  Ime  enjoys  a  better 
reputation  than  William  Stake  &  Co.,  Inc.  The 
business  conducted  is  purely  on  a  brokerage  basis 
and  includes  the  placing  of  marine  and  fire  in- 
surance, the  marine  end  predominating  although 
the  company  numbers  some  of  the  largest  com- 
mercial houses  among  its  clients  in  fire  risks.  The 
marine  business  includes  the  placing  of  insurance 
on  vessels  of  all  kinds  and  tonnage,  to  and  from 


any  part  of  the  world.  Since  the  incorporation  of 
the  firm  the  business  has  grown  enormously,  partly 
due  to  the  efforts  of  the  officers  and  efficient  aids 
and  to  the  changed  conditions  brought  about  by 
the  European  war,  which  increased  the  demand  for 
maritime  insurance  at  advanced  rates.  Of  the  men 
now  directing  the  business  of  William  Stake  & 
Co.,  Inc.,  Mr.  Wipprecht,  the  President,  who 
came  to  New  York  in  I  900,  has  been  in  the  in- 
surance business  here  and  abroad  since  I  894.  He 
IS  thoroughly  experienced  in  insurance  work  and 
gives  his  personal  attention  to  every  detail  of  the 
business. 

Mr.  Heyn,  Vice-President,  although  com- 
paratively new  to  the  line,  has  shown  a  remark- 
able tendency  to  grasp  conditions  and  will  doubt- 
less develop  a  knowledge  of  the  business  that  will 
make  him  a  worthy  representative  of  the  founder. 
Mr.  Miller,  another  of  the  Vice-lPresidents,  has 
also  been  in  the  business  for  many  years  and 
brought  a  most  useful  knowledge  to  the  organiza- 
tion. The  offices  occupied  by  William  Stake  & 
Co.,  Inc.,  are  located  in  the  building  80  Maiden 
Lane.  They  include  several  large  communicating 
offices,  handsomely  furnished  and  thoroughly 
equipped  with  modern  devices  for  the  expeditious 
handling  of  the  immense  volume  of  business  pass- 
ing through  the  company's  hands,  which  requires 
the  services  of  an  exceptionally  big  office  force. 
While  the  offices  are  the  scene  of  great  activity, 
there  is  no  indication  of  hurry  and  bustle,  the 
methodical  business  arrangements  suggesting  rather 
conservatism  and  dignity  in  operation. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


109 


WOOLWORTH  BUILDING 
A  Fifty-five  Story  Structure  Which  Leads  the  World  in  Height  of  Office  Buildings. 


^EW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


CHARLES  A.  ORR 


Charles  A.  Orr,  Manager  of  the  Marine  De- 
partment of  the  National  Union  Fire  Insurance 
Company  of  Pittsburgh,  was  formerly  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  F.  Herrmann  &  Co.,  which  represented 
the  National  Union  Company  and  two  leading 
German  organizations  in  the  same  line. 

By  the  President's  proclamation  of  July  1  3,  the 
United  States  branches  of  these  two  German  com- 
panies, the  Mannheim  Insurance  Company  and  the 
Nord-Deutsche  Insurance  Company,  were  prohib- 
ited from  continuing  to  insure  against  marine  and 
war  risks  and  in  consequence  F.  Herrmann  &  Co., 
the  manager  of  these  companies,  decided  to  cease 
writing  all  kinds  of  insurance. 


I  he  firm  had  been  appointed  marine  managers  oi 
the  National  Union  Company  on  June  I ,  but  upon 
ihe  issuance  of  the  President's  proclamation  it  was 
decided  that  the  company's  interests  would  be  best 
served  under  the  management  of  an  American  citi- 
zen and  Mr.  Orr  was  tendered  the  position  of 
Manager. 

Upon  his  acceptance  of  this  appointment  he 
at  once  retired  from  the  firm  of  F.  Herrmann  & 
Co.,  and  took  up  his  duties  as  Manager  of  the 
Marine  Department  with  offices  at  43  Exchange 
Place.  Mr.  Orr  has  been  in  the  insurance  business 
for  fourteen  years  and  is  thoroughly  equipped  to 
make  a  success  in  his  new  position. 


View  ot  Wal!  Street.  South  Side.  Looking  West  Prom  Pearl  Street— 18b6 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


III 


ARTHUR  HALE  TITUS 
Arthur  H.  Titus,  recently  advanced  from  an 
assistant  cashiership  to  the  position  of  General 
Superintendent  of  South  American  Branches  of  the 
City  Bank,  has  had  a  wide  and  varied  experience 
in  the  financial  field.  Mr.  Titus  was  born  in 
Mercer  County,  New  Jersey,  and  was  educated 
in  the  public  and  high  schools  of  Brooklyn. 
Shortly  after  the  completion  of  his  studies  he  be- 
came a  messenger   for   the    Mercantile  National 


Bank  in  I  890.  A  few  years  later  he  was  made 
Receiving  Teller  of  the  Hide  and  Leather  Bank, 
at  that  time  located  m  the  "Swamp,"  by  which 
title  the  leather  district  is  familiarly  known.  In 
January,  1  898,  he  was  appointed  Assistant  Note 
Teller  and  Coupon  Clerk  of  the  City  Bank.  He 
was  later  made  Note  Teller  and  filled  various 
positions  until  January  8,  1907,  when  he  became 
an  Assistant  Cashier.  In  order  to  familiarize  Mr. 
1  itus  with  the  general  banking  conditions  in  cities 
where  the  City  Bank  has  branches  he  was  sent  on 
a  tour  of  the  South  American  branches  in  1915 
and  did  much  to  further  the  organization  of  the 
rapidly-growing  branch  at  Buenos  Aires.  He 
was  absent  nine  months  and  shortly  after  his  re- 
turn was  appointed  to  his  present  position,  which 
necessitates  his  residence  in  South  America.  Mr. 
Titus  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  first  President 
of  the  City  Bank  Club  and  is  a  member  of  its 
Advisory  Committee. 


CLINTON  M.  HALL 
Clinton  M.  Hall,  member  of  the  New  York 
Stock  Exchange,  who  is  connected  with  tTie  bank- 
ing firm  of  W.  C.  Langley  &  Co.,  1  15  Broad- 
way, was  born  in  New  Orleans,  La..  March  8. 
1877. 

He  attended  St.  Paul's  .school  and  afterwards 
graduated  from  Yale  University,  class  of  '99. 
His  first  connection  was  in  the  financial  field 
where  he  displayed  such  ability  that  he  soon 
became  the  representative  of  W.  C.  Langley  & 
Co.  on  the  floor  of  the  Exchange. 

Mr.  Hall  IS  descended  from  old  and  distin- 
guished Southern  families,  the  maternal  branch  in- 
cluding among  its  connections  Thomas  Lynch,  Jr., 
one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, and  General  George  Washington. 

In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  firm  of  W. 
C.  Langley  &  Co.,  Mr.  Hall  is  a  Director  of  the 
Montana,  Wyoming  &  Southern  Railroad  Com- 
pany and  the  Motom  Motor  Company. 


WILLIAM  JAY  GILPIN 

William  Jay  Gilpin,  Manager  of  the  New 
York  Clearing  House,  has  been  connected  with 
that  institution  since  leaving  school  in  1877. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  City,  August  28, 
1860,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Dowdall) 
Gilpin,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools. 
Directly  after  finish- 
ing his  studies  Mr. 
Gilpin  entered  the 
employ  of  the  New 
^'ork  Clearing  House 
in  a  minor  capacity 
and  was  promoted  to 
the  position  of  tell- 
er in  1889,  Assist- 
ant Manager  in 
1892  and  Manager 
in  1917.  He  was 
associated  with  the 
loan  committees  of 
1884,  1890,  1893, 

1907  and  1914.  He 

is  a  Trustee  of  the 

Brevoort  Savings 

Bank.  He  was  for 
over  ten  years  a  member  of  the  7th  Regiment, 
N.  G.  N.  Y.,  being  first  sergeant  of  Company  E 
upon  his  retirement,  and  was  one  of  the  founders 
and  editors  of  the  7th  Regiment  Gazette.  Mr. 
Gilpin  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
the  Brooklyn  Institute  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 
Brooklyn  League,  7th  Regiment  Veterans'  Associa- 
tion, the  Lincoln  and  Crescent  Athletic  Clubs  oi 
Brooklyn,  the  Bankers'  Club  of  America,  and 
Flushing  Country  Club. 


112 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


Russell  A.  Cowles 

A  Leading  Member   of   the   Copper  and    Brass    Industry   of  America. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


113 


RUSSEL  ABERNETH^'  COWLES 
Mr.  Russel  Abernelhy  Cavvles  comes  of  a  fam- 
ily which  has  been  identified  with  the  brass  and 
copper  industry  of  this  country  since  the  early 
sixties.  George  P.  Cowles,  his  grandfather,  be- 
came associated  with  Phelps,  Dodge  &  Co.  and 
represented  their  interests  in  the  manufacture  ol 
copper,  and  later  in  the  manufacture  of  brass,  at 
Ansonia,  Conn.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
President  of  The  Ansonia  Brass  &  Copper  Co. 
He  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  the  late  Alfred  A. 
Cowles,  father  of  Russel  A.  Cowles.  Alfred  A. 
Cowles  was  also  President  of  The  Ansomia  Clock 
Company  at  the  time  of  his  death.  When  The 
Ansonia  Brass  &  Copper  Co.  was  taken  over  by 
1  he  American  Brass  Co.  he  became  a  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  that  corporation. 

Russel  Abernethy  Cowles  started  in  business 
in  1893,  at  the  age  of  19.  with  The  .Ansonia 
Brass  &  Copper  Co.  In  the  course  of  time  he  was 
made  Treasurer  of  the  company,  and  later  a  Vice- 
President  of  The  American  Brass  Co.  He  re- 
signed from  the  last-named  company  on  Sept.  I , 
1915,  and  accepted  the  office  of  Vice-President  of 
the  Buffalo  Copper  &  Brass  Rolling  Mill.  This 
corporation  was  reorganized  by  Mr.  William  A. 
Morgan,  its  President,  and  Mr.  Cowles.  They 
built  the  largest  independent  brass  mill  in  the  coun- 
try and,  after  breaking  all  records  in  the  produc- 
tion of  brass  for  war  purposes,  finally  in  June, 
1917,  sold  the  plant  to  The  American  Brass 
Company. 

Early  in  1915  Mr.  Cowles  organized  1  he 
Metals  Trading  Corporation,  of  which  he  is  Presi- 
dent and  owner.  He  is  also  President  of  The 
Ansonia  Clock  Co.,  The  Sandusky  Foundry  & 
Machine  Co.  and  the  Coastwise  Warehouses,  Inc. 
He  is  Vice-President  of  the  Coronet  Phosphate 
Co.,  the  International  Fabricating  Corporation  and 
the  Cyclops  Steel  Co.  The  New  York  clubs  to 
which  Mr.  Cowles  belongs  are  the  Metropolitan, 
Union  League,  New  York  ^'acht,  Down  Town 
Association  and  India  House. 


NEWMAN  ERB 
Newman  Erb,  who  through  his  knowledge 
of  the  law  pertaining  to  railroad  management,  both 
executive  and  advisory,  gravitated  to  the  manage- 
ment of  many  .oads  and  financial  institutions,  was 
born  June  16,  1850,  in  Breslau,  Germany,  the 
son  of  Adolph  L.  and  Esther  (Peck)  Erb. 
When  three  years  old  he  was  brought  to  this 
country  by  his  parents  and  was  educated  at  pri- 
vate and  public  schools  in  St.  Louis  and  at  the 
St.  Louis  High  School.  He  studied  law  and 
after  admission  to  the  bar  took  up  the  practice 
of  his  profession,  in  which  he  continued  unt'J 
1902,  specializing  in  corporation  work-  1  his, 
naturally,  brought  him  in  touch  with  many  large 
corporations  and  created  a  new  field  of  activity. 
He  was  Receiver  of  the  Memphis,  Selma  &  Bruns- 
wick R.  R.  Co.,  now  part  of  the  Frisco  System, 
in  1885-6,  and  acted  as  General  Attorney  for  the 
Arkansas,  Tennessee  &  Mississippi,  and  the  Kan- 
sas City,  Fort  Scott  &  Memphis  Railroads  from 
1881  until  1886.  From  that  period  until  1888 
he  was  President  of  the  Western  Telegraph  Co., 
since  absorbed  by  the  Western  Union  Telegraph 
Co.  He  was  President  and  Receiver  of  the 
Kansas  City,  Wyandotte  &  Northwestern  R.  R. 
Co.,  and  the  Kansas  City  &  Beatrice  R.  R.  Co., 
now  part  of  the  M.  P.  Railway,  from  1 887  to 
1892,  and  in  the  latter  year  was  Vice-President 
of  the  Meriden  &  Connecticut  R.R.  Co.,  which 
was  afterwards  merged  with  the  N.Y.,N.H.  &  H. 
lines,  and  Receiver  of  the  Chattanooga  South- 
ern Railroad  Co.  Mr.  Erb  was  Vice-President 
of  the  Pere  Marquette  Railroad  Co.,  and  Pres- 
ident and  Constructor  of  the  St.  Louis,  Memphis 
&  Southeastern  Railroad,  now  part  of  the  Frisco 
System,  in  1 896-8.  He  was  also  President  and 
Director  of  the  Wisconsin  Central  Railroad  Co., 
from  December,  1908,  to  April,  1909.  Mr. 
Erb's  interests  are  most  varied  at  the  present 
time  and  in  addition  to  railroads  include  copper 
companies  and  industrial  and  financial  concerns. 
He  is  President  and  Director  of  the  Ann  Arbor 
R.  R.  Co.,  the  Denver  &  Salt  Lake  R.  R.  Co., 
ihe  Iowa  Central  R.  R.  Co.,  ex-President  of  the 
Minneapolis  &  St.  Louis  R.  R.  Co.,  Chairman  of 
the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Middletown  & 
Unionville  R.  R.  Co.,  Director  of  the  Tennessee, 
Alabama  &  Georgia  R.  R.  Co.,  President  and 
Director  of  the  Railroad  Securities  &  Investment 
Co.,  Director  of  the  British  Columbia  Copper  Co., 
Vice-President  and  Director  of  the  New  Domin- 
ion Copper  Co.,  and  the  Hall  Switch  &  Signal 
Co.  Mr.  Erb's  offices  are  at  42  Broadway 
and  his  home  address  is  15  West  Fifty-fifth  Street. 


114 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


MR  HAKL  IDVORSKY  PUPIN 
Dr.  Michael  I.  Pupin,  who  has  attained  cel- 
ebrity for  his  contributions  to  the  science  of  long 
distance  communication,  was  born  in  Banat,  Hun- 
gary, in  1858  and  came  to  this  country  a  poor  and 
unknown  Serbian  boy.  He  was  educated  at  Co- 
lumbia University,  graduating  with  the  B.  A.  de- 
gree in  1883  and  was  awarded  the  Ph.  D.  degree 
by  the  University  of  Berlin  in  1889.  His  alma 
mater  conferred  the  D.  Sc.  degree  upon  him  in 
I  904  and  Johns  Hopkins  University  gave  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  He  has 
made  discoveries  and  inventions  in  the  electrical 
field  and  has  published  numerous  papers  relating 
to  his  research  work  along  this  line,  his  honorary 


degrees  bemg  principally  in  recognition  of  his  serv- 
ices in  the  perfection  of  the  long  distance  tele- 
phone. He  now  occupies  the  chair  of  electro- 
mechanics  at  Columbia  University  and  is  Director 
of  the  Phoenix  research  laboratories  in  the  same 
institution  and  his  work  in  these  connections  has 
attracted  international  attention. 

Dr.  Pupin  was  married  in  London,  England, 
in  I  888,  to  Katherine  Jackson  of  New  York  City, 
who  died  leaving  one  daughter,  Varvara  Ivanka 
Pupin.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Phil- 
osophical Society,  the  American  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  the  National  Academy  of  Sciences 
and  the  University  Club.  In  recognition  of  his 
valuable  services  and  to  commemorate  the  com- 
pletion of  a  quarter  of  a  century  of  active  work 
for  Columbia  University,  the  Alumni  Association 


ol  the  School  ol  Mines,  Engineering  and  Chem- 
istry tendered  him  a  banquet  February  19,  1917, 
at  which  many  eminent  men  paid  tribute  to  his 
genius.  Dr.  Pupin  has  a  summer  home  at  Nor- 
walk.  Conn.,  and  is  devoted  to  dairy  farming  and 
gardening. 


CHAUNCE^'  MI  TCHELL  DEPEW 
Hon.  Chauncey  M.  Depew,  who  has  been 
prominent  in  National,  State  and  Municipal  affairs 
for  over  half  a  century,  was  born  in  Peekskill, 
N.  v.,  April  23,  1834,  and  graduated  from  Yale 
College   in    1856,    with   the   honorary   degree  of 


LL.  D.  He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  1859 
and  in  1866  was  appointed  attorney  for  the  New 
York  and  Harlem  Railroad  Co.,  becoming  Gen- 
eral Counsel  for  the  New  York  Central  and  Hud- 
son River  Railroad  Co.  in  1875  and  since  that 
time  has  been  identified  with  that  company  and 
various  other  railroads  of  the  Vanderbilt  system. 
He  was  made  President  of  the  company  in  1885 
and  resigned  in  1  899  to  become  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Directors  of  the  New  York  Central,  Lake 
Shore  and  New  York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis 
Railroad  companies.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Assembly  in  1861-62  and  was  elected  Secretary 
of  State  in  1863,  but  declined  to  serve.  He 
filled  many  other  positions  in  the  State  Govern- 
ment and  was  elected  U.  S.  Senator  in  1  899  and 
1905.     Mr.  Depew  is  famous  as  an  orator  and 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


115 


has  made  many  nommatmg  speeches.  He  is  in- 
terested in  a  score  of  philanthropic  and  betterment 
associations  and  is  a  member  of  the  Century,  Met- 
ropolitan, Union  League,  University,  St.  Nicholas, 
Lotos,  Republican,  Transportation,  Lawyers,  Tux- 
edo, Riding,  Yale,  New  York  Yacht,  Ardsley, 
Players  and  Strollers  Clubs  of  New  York  City 
and  the  Metropolitan  Country,  Chevy  Chase  and 
Alibi  Clubs  of  Washington,  D.  C. 


JOHN  C.  JUHRING 
John  C.  Juhring,  of  Francis  H.  Leggett  & 
Company,  the  proprietors  of  Premier  Brand  Pure 
Food  Products,  known  throughout  the  civilized 
world,  was  born  in  New  York  City.  His  early 
education  was  received  in  Mount  Washington  Col- 
legiate Institute.     His  rise  to  commercial  promi- 


nence began  with  youth's  search  for  an  opportunity 
to  demonstrate  what  qualities  it  might  possess. 
He  applied  for  a  position;  Francis  H.  Leggett 
gave  him  employment  and  he  became  a  clerk. 
He  served  through  various  clerical  positions  and 
afterward  was  made  Cashier,  then  a  Department 
Manager  and  finally  was  given  an  interest  in  the 
business  and  later  on  a  partnership.  When  the 
firm  was  made  a  corporation  he  was  elected 
its  Vice-President.  In  February,  1910,  shortly 
after  Mr.  Leggett's  death,  he  was  unanimous- 
ly elected  President  by  the  directors.  A  move- 
ment was  started  among  the  citizens  of  New 
York    for    the    formation    of    a    merchants'  as- 


sociation and  Mr.  Juhring  became  a  charter  mem- 
ber inasmuch  as  he  was  one  always  to  be  identified 
with  a  constructive  morvement.  The  Merchants' 
Association  of  the  City  of  New  York  was  founded 
and  Mr.  Juhring  was  elected  Vice-President  at 
its  inception,  where  he  served  for  five  consecutive 
terms  during  1898-1903.  He  is  a  Director  of 
the  Coal  and  Iron  National  Bank;  a  Trustee  of 
the  Citizens'  Savings  Bank,  and  a  Director  in  other 
enterprises.  Mr.  Juhring  is  a  Republican.  His 
clubs  are  the  Merchants,  Ardsley-on-the-Hudson, 
Union  League,  New  York  Athletic,  and  New 
York  Press.  He  is  fond  of  travel  and  has  made 
many  trips  to  Europe.  Though  a  conseivative 
and  self-contained  man  he  has  a  most  cheery  and 
considerate  disposition,  and  the  trait  for  which 
he  is  most  conspicuous  is  his  enthusiasm,  which 
he  seems  to  have  as  a  gift,  and  the  natural  ability 
to  impart  it  to  those  who  are  associated  with  him. 
Fhose  who  know  Mr.  Juhring  best  say  that  it  is 
the  sum  of  his  many  pleasant  sides  which  has 
gained  for  him  the  esteem  and  respect  of  the  busi- 
ness world.  Mr.  Juhring  was  married  to  Miss 
Frances  Bryant  Fisher  of  New  York,  who  is  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Dames,  Colony 
Club,  and  also  a  member  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution.  They  have  one  son,  John 
C.  Juhring,  3rd,  born  August  30,  1902. 

His  residence  is  Dobb's  Ferry,  N.  Y.,  and  he 
Hves  on  Park  Avenue,  New  York,  during  the 
winter  months. 


CHARLES  A.  KITTLE 

Charles  A.  Kittle,  who  is  interested  in  the 
development  of  Western  copper  mining  propositions, 
was  born  in  New  York  City,  August  15,  1867. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  afterwards 
attending  a  business  college  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and 
began  his  active  business  career  in  1  883  with  the 
firm  of  J.  Kennedy  Tod  &  Co.  In  1902  he 
associated  with  Stephen  H.  iP.  Pell  in  the  forma 
tion  of  the  cotton  brokerage  firm  of  S.  H.  Pell  & 
Co.  and  continued  this  connection  until  1914,  when 
the  firm  was  compelled  to  retire  from  business,  the 
outbreak  of  the  European  War  badly  affecting 
cotton,  of  which  S.  H.  P.  Pell  &  Co.  were  large 
holders.  Always  interested  in  mining,  Mr.  Kittle 
turned  his  attention  to  that  field  exclusively  and  is 
now  President  of  the  Consolidated  Arizona  Smelt- 
ing Company  and  Vice-President  of  the  Ohio  Cop- 
per Co.  of  Utah.  Mr.  Kittle  is  also  Director  in 
a  half  dozen  other  mining  and  commercial  com- 
panies. He  is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Co- 
lonial Wars,  in  which  his  ancestors,  who  came  to 
this  country  from  Holland  in  1630,  took  part. 
1  hey  were  also  prominent  in  the  social  and  political 
life  of  that  period  and  later  on.  His  offices  are 
at  43  Exchange  Place. 


116  NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


DR.  EDWARD  GOODRICH  ACHFSON 


Dr.  Edward  G.  Acheson,  whose  achievements 
along  scientific  hnes  have  brought  him  fame  at 
home  and  abroad,  is  still  actively  engaged  m 
research  work  and  is  now  completing  an  invention 
that  will  be  as  valuable  to  the  householder  as  his 
previous  discoveries  were  to  the  commercial  and 
industrial  world.  Dr.  Acheson  was  born  March 
9.  1856,  at  Washington,  Pa.,  and  after  only 
three  years'  schooling  was  engaged  in  various  pur- 


suits, including  civil  engineering  on  railroad  con- 
struction. In  the  fall  of  1880  he  became  assistant 
to  Thomas  A.  Edison,  in  whose  interest  he  went 
to  Europe,  and  while  there  installed  the  first 
incandescent  plants  in  Italy,  Belgium  and  Hol- 
land. 

Upon  his  return  to  this  country  he  became  Super- 
intendent of  the  Consolidated  Lamp  Co.,  of 
Brooklyn,   and  later  electrician  of  the  Standard 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


117 


Underground  Cable  Co.  In  1891  Dr.  Acheson 
discovered  carborundum,  the  greatest  and  most 
effective  abrasive  known  to  the  world,  and  organ- 
ized the  Carborundum  Company  for  its  manu- 
facture. His  first  product  of  this  material  wa? 
carried  in  a  small  phial  in  his  vest  pocket  and  sold 
to  a  Maiden  Lane  jeweler.  Had  the  price  he 
received  for  this  been  maintained  it  would  have 
made  him  a  Croesus  as  the  output  of  the  company 
is  now  over  15,000,000  pounds  annually. 
Another  industry  that  he  created  was  the  manu- 
facture of  graphite  and  the  Acheson  Graphite 
Co.,  of  which  he  is  President,  now  manufactures 
about  40,000,000  pounds  of  this  useful  product 
annually.  Another  of  Dr.  Acheson's  invention? 
was  a  method  of  extractmg  metallic  silicon  from 
ordinary  sand.  Among  his  other  discoveries  was 
the  production  of  a  fine  lubricating  graphite  and 
the  deflocculation  of  inorganic  amorphous  bodies. 
His  defloccuiated  graphite  in  lubricating  oil, 
which  he  terms  "Oildag,"  will  extend  the  use 
of  lubricating  oils  four  times  while  "Aquadag," 
a  combination  of  water  and  defloccuiated  graphite, 
gives  better  lubrication  than  the  best  oils.  Among 
the  other  discoveries  that  Dr.  Acheson  has  given 
to  the  commercial  and  industrial  world  are: 
Gredag,  Siloxicon,  Egyptianized  Clay,  Acheson 
Ink  for  printers'  use  and  the  Acheson  Filter.  The 
last-named  invention  will  make  it  impossible,  when 
used  in  the  household,  for  a  germ  to  get  into  the 
drinking  water.  It  makes  water  absolutely  sterile, 
as  shown  by  tests,  and  it  is  Dr.  Acheson's 
intention  to  give  it  to  the  public  at  the  cost 
of  manufacture.  This  will  make  it  possible  for 
every  householder  to  install  one  and  thus  prevent 
the  spread  of  contagious  diseases.  Dr.  Acheson's 
entire  life  has  been  one  of  intense  activity.  He 
has  been  an  indefatigable  worker,  yet  has  found 
time  to  lecture  on  various  subjects  that  have  come 
to  his  notice  while  travelling.  Recently  he  ap- 
peared before  the  Foreign  Affairs  Committee  of  the 
House  of  Representatives,  in  session  at  Niagara 
Falls,  and  took  a  determined  stand  against  the 
movement  to  stop  the  use  of  the  Niagara  current 
for  the  creation  of  power,  contending  that  the 
country's  coal  supply  would  be  exhausted  in  one 
hundred  years  and  that  the  supply  should  be  con- 
served. He  held  it  as  a  crime  against  posterity 
that  this  great  natural,  inexhaustible  resource  should 
be  preserved  for  its  scenic  beauty  while  the 
exhaustion  of  the  country's  coal  supply  was  immi- 


nent. Dr.  Acheson  concluded  his  remarks  with 
the  trite  question,  "Is  it  not  the  full  and  economic 
use  of  the  inexhaustible  for  the  exhaustible  that 
constitutes  the  true  conservation  of  our  natural 
resources?"  His  remarks  were  printed  in  the 
Congressional  Record  and  brought  letters  of  com- 
mendation from  many  members  of  the  committee. 
Dr.  Acheson's  investigations  showing  that  graphite 
would  increase  the  efficiency  of  a  rifle  led  him  to 
present  several  thousand  cases  to  the  Imperial 
Russian  Government,  for  which  he  received  the 
thanks  of  the  Czar.  He  also  gave  the  use  of  his 
beautiful  house  in  Regent  Square,  London,  to  be 
used  as  a  hospital  until  the  conclusion  of  the  war. 

Among  the  many  honors  that  had  been  con- 
ferred upon  Dr.  Acheson  the  following  may  be 
mentioned : 

Grand  Prix,  Exposition  Universelle  Inter- 
nationale, 1900,  for  Carborundum  and  Artificial 
Graphite. 

Grand  iPrize,  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition, 
i  904,  for  Carborundum  and  Artificial  Graphite. 

Count  Rumford  Premium,  American  Academy 
of  Arts  and  Sciences,  1908,  for  New  Industrial 
Products  of  the  Electric  Furnace. 

The  degree  of  Sc.  D.,  conferred  by  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Feb.  12th,  1909. 

The  Perkin  Research  Medal  awarded  by 
Perkin  Medal  Committee,  January  21st,  1910. 

On  July  17,  1914,  the  King  of  Sweden  created 
Dr.  Acheson  a  Knight  of  the  Order  of  the  Royal 
Polar  Star,  in  recognition  of  his  discoveries  and 
inventions. 

He  is  an  Honorary  Member  of  the  Russian 
Imperial  Technical  Society;  an  Honorary  Mem- 
ber of  the  Swedish  Technological  Society;  a  Life 
Member  of  the  Royal  Institution.  London,  Eng- 
land; a  Fellow  of  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science;  Past-President  of 
the  American  Electrochemical  Society;  and  a 
Member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Electrical 
Engineers,  the  American  Institute  of  Chemical 
Engineers,  the  Society  Chemical  Industry,  the 
American  Chemical  Society,  the  American  Mining 
Congress,  the  American  Ceramic  Society,  the 
Franklin  Institute,  the  Royal  Society  of  Arts,  Eng- 
land, University  Club  of  Washington,  D.  C, 
Engineers'  and  Chemists'  Clubs  of  New  York, 
Buffalo  Club  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Niagara  Club  of 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  New  York  Press  Club  of 
New  York,  Automobile  Club  of  America  of  New 
York. 


118 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


ellAKLES  J.  WELC  H 
Charles  J.  Welch,  head  of  the  sugar  importing 
firm  of  Welch,  Fairchild  &  Co.  and  connected 
with  other  commercial  enterprises,  was  born  in 
San  Francisco,  California,  m  1875,  the  son  of 
Andrew  Welch,  who  was  one  of  the  early  mer- 
chants engaged  in  the  importation  of  sugar  from 
the  H.iwaiian  Islands.  After  being  educated  in 
the  city  of  his  birth,  Mr.  Welch,  in  1896,  became 
associated  with  Welch  &  Co.,  his  father's  firm, 
where  he  gained  a  most  comprehensive  knowledge 
of  the  business.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1898 
and  in  1912  organized  the  firm  of  Welch,  Fair- 
child  &  Co.  of  New  York  and  Manila,  which  is 
engaged  in  the  importation  of  raw  sugar  and  the 
exportation  of  sugar  supplies  and  machinery.  He 
is  Vice-President  of  the  Mindoro  Company,  a 
New  Jersey  corporation,  organized  in  1910,  which 
conducts  a  large  sugar  business  with  the  Philippine 
Islands  and  has  been  President  of  the  Cape  Cruz 
Company  since  its  organization,  the  latter  company 
operating  in  Cuba.  In  the  Mindoro  Company, 
Mr.  Welch  is  associated  with  Mr.  Horace  Hav- 
emeyer,  and  they  hold,  under  a  franchise  granted 
to  George  Fairchild,  55,000  acres  of  land  in  Min- 
doro. This  franchise  permits  the  holders  to  form 
a  corporation  to  purchase  the  vast  sugar  lands  in 
the  Island  of  Mindoro,  now  held  by  Welch  and 
Havemeyer.  A  part  of  the  land  is  under  cul- 
tivation and  a  large  sugar  mill  has  been  erected 
at  Mangarin,  Mindoro,  to  supply  material.  It  is 
their  desire  to  dispose  of  their  acreage  and  devote 
their  time  entirely  to  milling.  This  will  be  ac- 
complished by  selling  out  to  the  new  corporation, 
in  which  at  first  they  will  be  the  principal  stock- 
holders. The  franchise  will  be  of  great  ad- 
vantage to  smaller  companies  and  individuals.  It 
provides  that  no  corporation  may  hold  over  2, 
500  acres  of  land  and  that  the  holding  company 
must  be  prepared  to  sell  all  the  land  within  a  pe- 
riod of  thirty  years  and  the  land  thus  sold  must  be 
prepared  for  cultivation  and  given  an  irrigation 
system.  This  partition  of  the  land  will  surround 
the  mill  with  hundreds  of  small  farmers,  who  will 
be  supplied  by  the  milling  corporation  with  ade- 
quate farming  facilities,  and  who  will  in  turn  sup- 
ply the  mill  with  cane.  A  Filipino  sugar  cane  ex- 
pert will  also  be  employed  by  the  corporation 
to  give  free  advice  to  all  purchasers  of  the  land. 
The  prevailing  prices  of  sugar  will  give  the  larrn- 


ers,  who  were  penniless  three  years  ago,  ,ui  o|>' 
portunity  to  own  their  land,  free  of  encumbrance, 
within  the  coming  year.  This  project  has  aroused 
unbounded  enthusiasm  throughout  the  island  where 
the  promoters  are  hailed  as  philanthropists,  the 
natives  seeing  in  the  work  a  possible  solution  of 
the  difficulty  of  getting  capital  to  exploit  the  un- 
developed lands. 

Mr.  Welch  IS  vitally  interested  in  the  Min- 
doro proposition  and  gives  every  detail  of  the 
work  close  supervision.  His  offices  are  at  1 38 
Front  Street  and  since  becoming  a  resident  of  New 
York  City  he  has  been  elected  to  membership  in 
the  India  House  and  New  York  Yacht  Club. 


JAMES  L.  WELLS 
James  L.  Wells,  Treasurer  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  familiarly  referred  to  as  "The  Father 
of  The  Bronx",  was  born  in  West  Farms,  and 
was  graduated  from  Columbia  University.  He  rep- 
resented The  Bronx  in  the  Board  of  Aldermen  fo; 
three  terms.  He  was  three  times  a  member  oi 
the  State  Assembly  and  a  Commissioner,  and 
President  of  the  Department  of  Taxes  and  Assess- 
ments of  The  City  of  New  York.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Charter  Revision  Commission,  and 
for  several  years  a  city  and  state  representative 
to  the  National  River  and  Harbor  Congress  and 
Atlantic  Deeper  Waterways  Conventions.  At  the 
time  of  his  election  as  Treasurer  of  the  State  of 
New  York  he  was  President  of  the  James  L. 
Wells  Company,  real  estate  and  appraisals.  No. 
141  Broadway.  He  is  also  President  of  the  New 
York  Real  Estate  Salesroom  and  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Twenty-third  Ward  Bank,  The 
Dollar  Savings  Bank,  and  The  Bronx  Board  of 
Trade,  and  its  President  for  six  terms. 


Streets  of  New  York— A  Hot  Day. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


119 


120 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


CHARLES  SCHENCK  BRADLEY 


The  question  of  food  conservation  now  agitating 
the  world  is  not  of  such  vital  importance  as  that 
of  continuous  and  prolific  crop  production,  which 
can  be  secured  only  by  the  soil  being  annually 
treated  with  nitrate  of  soda.  This  chemical  is 
being  rapidly  exhausted  but  it  is  being  replaced 
by  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  nitrogen  obtained 
from  the  air  by  a  process  discovered  by  Charles  S. 
Bradley  and  D.  R.  Lovejoy  and  now  in  operation 
at  Niagara  Falls.  The  process  consists  in  the 
production  of  a  large  number  of  electric  arcs  or 
flames  in  a  confined  space,  through  which  a  regu- 


lated amount  of  air  to  be  burned  can  be  passed 
continuously,  this  air  emerging  from  the  apparatus 
laden  with  nitric  oxides  and  peroxides,  as  the  re- 
sult of  the  combustion,  and  ready  for  treatment 
and  collection.  This  solves  the  question  of  a  fu- 
ture nitrate  of  soda  and  insures  the  world  contin- 


uous crop  production.  1  his  is  but  one  ol  the 
many  useful  discoveries  Mr.  Bradley  has  made 
during  his  research  work,  which  has  been  principal- 
ly in  the  field  of  electricity.  He  was  born  at  Vic- 
tor, Ontario  County,  New  York,  April  12,  1853, 
the  son  of  Alonzo  and  Sarah  (Schenck)  Brad- 
ley. The  maternal  ancestry  dates  back  to  789, 
when  Edgar  de  Schencken  was  Imperial  Sen- 
eschal to  Charlemagne.  The  American  branch  of 
the  Schenck  family  was  established  by  two  broth- 
ers, descendants  of  Schenck  van  Nydeck,  of  Hol- 
land, who  settled  in  Bushwick  and  Flatland,  Long 
Island,  in  1650.  The  original  family  name  of  the 
paternal  side  was  Foskett,  whose  English  progeni- 
tors settled  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  in  1648. 
By  act  of  legislature  the  name  was  changed  in 
1820,  to  Bradley.  After  a  grammar  school  and 
university  training  Mr.  Bradley  became  associated 
with  Thomas  A.  Edison  in  1880  and  for  three 
years  was  intimately  connected  with  that  dis- 
tinguished scientist.  He  then  organized  his  own 
laboratory  and  developed  the  multiphase  transmis- 
sion of  power.  This  work  led  to  his  becoming 
associated  with  the  General  Electric  Company 
and  eventually  the  Ampere  Electro-Chemical 
Company,  of  which  he  is  President.  Mr.  Brad- 
ley has  invented  many  electric  devices  and  has 
taken  out  one  hundred  and  twenty  patents  on  vari- 
ous electric  and  chemical  subjects.  One  of  the 
most  important  of  his  discoveries  is  the  fixation  of 
nitrogen,  which  Mr.  Bradley  firmly  believes  will 
be  of  great  benefit  to  the  agriculturist  and  prevent 
shortage  of  crops.  Mr.  Bradley  is  unassuming 
and  practical.  He  believes  there  are  possibilities 
within  the  reach  of  research  which,  if  developed, 
would  make  this  country  a  leader  in  science  and 
industrial  pursuit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Electrical  Engineers,  the  Electro- 
Chemical  Society,  the  Genesee  Valley  Club  and 
the  Chemists'  Club.  He  married  Emma  Orcutt, 
a  descendant  of  an  old  New  England  family,  and 
they  have  four  children,  Marion,  the  wife  of  W. 
J.  Baker,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  Alonzo  B., 
Walter  E.  and  Florence  Bradley.  Like  their 
father  the  two  sons  are  engineers  and  are  officers 
of  B.  F.  Wood,  Inc.,  engineers.  Mr.  Bradley's 
office  address  is  41  Park  Row. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


121 


CHESTER  PETER  SIEMS 


In  the  ten  years  that  have  elapsed  since 
his  graduation  from  the  Sheffield  Scientific 
School,  'V  ale  Lniversity.  Chester  P.  Siems  has 
attained  an  international  reputation  in  the  con- 
struction and  development  fields.  He  is  Chair- 
man of  the  Siems-Carey  Railway  &  Canal 
Company,  an  organization  that  has  accomplished 
some  notable  things  since  its  formation  in  1916. 
This  company  was  lormed  by  the  American  In- 
ternational Corporation  and  Siems  and  Carey,  to 
undertake  railway  and  canal  projects  of  the  larg- 
est kind  and  now  has  in  hand  several  contracts 
of  large  magnitude.  It  was  the  outgrowth  of 
three  or  four  other  companies  with  which  Mr. 
Siems  was  connected  and  the  result  of  the  large 


amount  of  railroad  construction  work  which  he 
had  handled  for  some  of  the  leading  railway 
systems  of  the  United  States  and  Canada.  Mr. 
Siems  was  born  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  November 
4,  1884,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Josephine  A. 
(Gleason)  Siems.  Mr.  Siems'  father  came  to 
America  from  Schleswig-Holstein,  Germany,  and 
his  mother  was  a  connection  of  the  White  family 
which  came  over  in  the  Mayflower. 

Mr.  Siems"  early  education  was  received  at 
the  public  schools  of  St.  Paul  and  the  Baldwin 
Academy,  that  city.  He  later  entered  Andover 
Academy,  Andover.  Mass.,  then  attended  the 
Harstrom  School,  Norwalk,  Conn.,  and  finallv 
matriculated  at  the  Sheffield    Scientific  School, 


Yale  University,  graduating  with  the  degree  of 
Ph.  B..  in  1907. 

Mr.  Siems'  first  connection  was  with  the 
engineering  department  of  the  Spokane,  Portland 
&  Seattle  Railroad  and  in  the  fall  of  1908  he 
associated  with  his  father  and  brother  and  organ- 
ized the  firm  of  Siems  &  Company. 

Siems  &  Company  was  succeeded  in  August, 
1911,  by  the  Siems-Carey  Company,  with  Mr. 
Siems  as  President  and  Treasurer.  In  February  ol 
the  next  year  the  Siems-Carey  Company.  Ltd.. 
and  the  Marsh-Siems-Carey-Smith  Company,  both 
construction  enterprises,  were  launched.  All  three 
made  good  progress,  doing  a  wide  range  of  con- 
struction work  for  the  railroads  mentioned  above, 
and  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul.  Grand 
Trunk  and  Canadian  Northern  Railroads.  This 
work  was  carried  on  in  Alberta  and  British  Co- 
lumbia, Minnesota,  Iowa  and  Montana,  embracing 
railway  building  in  all  of  its  branches.  Many 
difficult  problems  were  met  and  overcome  by  the 
three  companies  in  the  course  of  executing  these 
contracts  under  the  personal  direction  of  Mr.  Siems. 

The  three  companies  grew  to  be  organiza- 
tions of  the  first  rank,  and  in  July,  1916,  the 
Siems-Carey  Railway  &  Canal  Company  was  or- 
ganized. At  the  same  time  the  China  Corporation 
was  launched  by  the  same  group  for  the  purpose  of 
engaging  in  business  abroad.  The  effort  promises 
to  be  productive  of  excellent  results,  and  the 
China  Corporation  bids  fair  to  be  one  of  the  large 
connecting  links  between  the  United  States  and 
commercial  China. 

Feu  men  have  accomplished  more  than  Mr. 
Siems  in  such  a  short  time  and  he  has  come  lo 
be  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  most  active  young 
men  among  the  new  generation  of  executives  in 
New  'V'ork's  big  business  circles.  His  several 
companies  do  a  combined  business  running  into 
very  large  figures,  and  their  administration  carries 
with  it  responsibilities  of  a  grave  character  The 
progress  of  all  these  enterprises  is  the  best  proof 
of  the  soundness  of  the  policies  and  methods  of 
Mr.  Siems  and  his  associates. 

Mr.  Siems  is  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  the  Siems-Carey  Railway  &  Canal  Com- 
pany; President  and  Treasurer  of  the  Siems-Carey 
Company  and  the  Siems-Carey  Company.  Ltd. ; 
Director  of  the  Marsh-Siems-Carey-Smith  Com- 
pany; Vice-President  and  Director.  China  Corpo- 
ration, and  a  Director  of  the  Pacific  Development 
Company. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  India  House  and 
the  Yale  Club.  He  also  is  a  member  of  the 
Bankers'  Club  of  America,  and  the  following 
St.  Paul  organizations:  Minnesota.  Town  and 
Country,  University,  White  Bear  Yacht,  North 
Hecla  Gun  and  Lamprey's  Gun  Club. 


122 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


DAVID  M 

D.  M.  Steindler,  who  left  Tennessee  and 
journeyed  to  Nevada  when  sixteen  years  of  age. 
became  associated  with  commercial  pursuits  in  the 
latter  state  and  finally  became  one  of  the  leading 
mining  men  of  Canada.  He  was  born  in  .Mem- 
phis, November  15,  1858,  and  after  a  common 
school  education  turned  his  steps  westward.  After 
being  employed  in  various  capacities  he  began 
business  for  himself  and  from  that  period  his  life 
reads  like  a  romance.  He  became  one  of  the  three 
origmal  owners  of  the  Kerr  Lake  Mine,  of  Co- 
balt, Ontario,  Canada,  which  they  purchased  in 
1905   for  $30,000.     This  mine  has  since  paid 


$7,1  10,000  in  dividends  and  continues  to  be  one 
of  the  largest  silver  producers  and  dividend  pay- 
ers in  Canada.  Mr.  Steindler's  next  successful 
venture  was  the  purchase  of  the  Croesus  Mine, 
located  in  the  Township  of  Munro,  Northern  On- 
tario, which  was,  with  another  mine  in  the  vicinity, 
obtained  for  $103,000.  A  company  was  or- 
ganized under  the  name  of  the  Croesus  Gold 
Mines,  Limited,  all  of  the  stock  being  held  by 
the  Dominion  Reduction  Company  of  Cobalt.  The 
officers  of  the  Dominion  Reduction  Company  are: 
President.  D.  M.  Steindler.  42  Broadway,  .N.  Y. 
City;  Secretary,  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 


STEINDLER 

Eugene  Steindler,  of  New  York  and  Cobalt.  These 
men  are  also  Directors,  together  with  Sir  Mortimer 
B.  Davis  and  Andrew  A.  Allen,  of  Montreal.  The 
company  owns  1  60  acres  of  productive  gold  land 
and  none  of  its  stock  is  for  sale.  The  development 
work  IS  now  in  progress  and  indications  already 
show  that  It  will  be  one  of  the  big  producers  ot 
Northern  Canada  as  the  one  vein  opened  up.  which 
IS  about  two  and  one  half  feet  in  width,  carries  ex- 
cellent ore  value  throughout  and  sensationally  high 
values  in  places.  The  mine  was  acquired  in  1915 
and  considerable  time  was  spent  in  installing  the 
necessary  plant  to  start  practical  work.  There  are 
two  125  h.  p.  boilers,  a  compressor  plant  and 
lighting  plant  in  operation  and  additional  equip- 
ment is  being  provided  as  the  development  work 
progresses.  A  hall  mill  of  40  or  50  tons  ca- 
pacity has  also  been  installed.  In  the  sinking  ol 
the  shaft  at  the  Croesus  Mine  an  the  three  foot 
vein  to  a  depth  of  400  feet,  some  of  the  richest 
gold  ore  ever  mined  was  taken  out.  Five  pieces 
of  this  ore  were  purchased  by  the  Ontario  Bureau 
of  Mines,  the  total  weight  of  which  was  38.689 
grams,  containing  16,431  grams  of  gold  and  sil- 
ver, equivalent  to  528.28  ounces  of  which  480.7 
is  gold  and  47.3  ounce;  silver.  The  value  of 
the  mineral  in  the  five  pieces,  weighing  85  pounds, 
is  approximately  $9,966.  More  than  a  million 
dollars'  worth  of  ore  has  been  partially  developed. 
The  ore  is  reduced  to  bullion  in  the  mil!  recently 
installed.  Mr.  Steindler  has  at  his  office  speci- 
mens of  the  ore  taken  from  the  Croesus  mines,  so 
rich  in  native  gold  that  they  look  like  the  handi- 
work of  a  skilled  artisan  rather  than  that  of 
nature.  It  will  take  time  to  tell  the  value  of  these 
ore  bodies  as  the  sensationally  high  yield  may  not 
be  maintained,  but  at  a  much  lower  percentage  the 
Croesus  will  produce  enough  mineral  to  make  it 
one  of  the  richest  mines  ever  exploited.  The 
company,  of  which  Mr.  Steindler  is  President, 
has  offered  none  of  the  stock  to  the  public.  It 
is  a  mining  company  pure  and  simple,  depending 
upon  the  ore  bodies  to  demonstrate  the  future  suc- 
cess of  the  undertaking,  and  absolutely  no  interest 
is  being  taken  in  the  stock  market  feature  of 
the  enterprise.  In  addition  to  the  presidency  of  the 
Croesus  Mines,  Limited,  Mr.  Steindler  fills  a  like 
position  with  the  Dominion  Reduction  Company, 
Limited,  the  Thunder  Mining  Company.  Limited, 
and  is  a  Director  of  the  Kerr  Lake  Mining  Com- 
pany and  the  Wettlaufer-Lorain  Silver  Mines. 
Limited.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Club  and  the  Inwood  Country  Club. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


123 


GEORGE  BRINTON  CALDWELL 


George  B.  Caldwell,  President  of  the  Sperry 
&  Hutchinson  Company,  originatonrs  of  the  largest 
premium-giving  organizations  in  the  world,  attained 
this  important  position  through  merit  alone.  He 
is  a  financier  of  acknowledged  ability  and,  in  the 
various  positions  he  previously  filled,  exhibited  an 
executive  skill  that  made  his  services  of  great  value 
to  any  corporation.  Mr.  Caldwell  was  born  in 
Dunkirk,  New  York,  August  24,  1863,  his  par- 
ents, Charles  Melville  and  Mary  Ann  (Kellner) 
Caldwell,  being  of  Scotch-Irish  and  English-Ger- 
man ancestry.  His  education  was  received  in  the 
schools  of  Ionia  and  Greeneville,  Michigan,  and 
at  a  business  college  in  Grand  Rapids.  He  left 
school  in  1881  ?nd  for  a  short  time  was  a  teacher 


in  Kent  County,  Michigan.  In  1 882  he  became 
accountant  in  the  office  of  O.  C.  Kemp  &  Co., 
insurance  agents  in  Greeneville,  and  in  1 884  he 
secured  a  position  as  bookkeeper  with  the  City  Na- 
tional Bank  of  the  same  place.  Four  years  later 
he  moved  to  Grand  Rapids  where  he  filled  the 
dual  positions  of  chief  accountant  and  financial 
man  with  Tucker,  Hoops  &  Co.,  dealers  in  lumber, 
remaining  with  that  firm  until  January  1 ,  1 890. 
when  he  became  State  Accountant  of  Michigan, 
with  headquarters  at  Lansing.  In  this  position 
and  as  Secretary  of  the  State  Board  of  Equali- 
zation he  evolved  a  plan  to  improve  efficiency  and 
economic  development  and  establish  a  uniform 
system  of  accountancy  for  the  various  State  insti- 


tutions, including  the  asylums,  schools,  colleges 
and  prisons.  In  May,  1893,  Mr.  Caldwell  was 
appointed  National  Bank  Examiner  for  the  State 
of  Michigan  and  northern  Indiana  by  James  H. 
Eckles,  Comptroller  of  the  Currency.  He  served 
four  years  under  Comptroller  Eckles  and  two 
years  under  his  successor,  Charles  G.  Dawes.  He 
resigned  this  position  in  1899  to  become  Assistant 
Cashier  and  Credit  Man  for  the  Merchants'  Na- 
tional Bank,  Indianapolis,  Indiana.  In  1902  his 
business  accomplishments  were  transferred  to  the 
American  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Chicago, 
where  he  became  Manager  of  the  investment  de- 
partment. This  bank  was  absorbed  by  the  Con- 
tinental and  Commercial  National  Bank  in  1910. 
The  name  of  the  institution  was  changed  to  the 
Continental  and  Commercial  Trust  and  Savings 
Bank  and  in  1911  Mr.  Caldwell  became  its  Vice- 
President.  He  rendered  important  service  to  this 
leading  bank  of  the  Middle  West  from  1911 
until  January  I,  1915.  when  he  retired  to  accept 
the  position  of  President  of  the  Sperry  &  Hutchin- 
son Company  and  its  subsidiary,  the  Hamilton 
Corporation.  While  Vice-President  of  the  Con- 
tinental and  Commercial  Trust  and  Savings  Bank, 
Mr.  Caldwell  organized  the  Investment  Bankers' 
Association  of  America,  becoming  its  first  Presi- 
dent, in  which  position  he  served  two  terms.  Mr. 
Caldwell's  entire  time  since  reaching  manhood  has 
been  devoted  to  financial  affairs  and  with  the  ex- 
ception of  serving  as  City  Clerk  of  Greeneville. 
Michigan,  when  in  his  early  twenties,  has  had  no 
inclination  for  politics  or  other  political  pursuits.  He 
became  affiliated  with  many  corporations  during  his 
active  association  with  banking  interests  and  is 
a  Director  of  the  United  Light  and  Rail- 
ways Company  of  Chicago.  Illinois;  Chattanooga 
Gas  Company  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee;  Grand 
Rapid?,  Grand  Haven  and  Muskegon  Railway  of 
Michigan;  Cranford  Trust  Company  of  Cranford, 
New  Jersey,  and  is  the  owner  of  public  utilities 
in  Iowa,  Indiana  and  Michigan.  He  also  estab- 
lished and  still  owns  the  "Investment  Weekly", 
a  financial  paper  for  investors.  He  is  active 
in  club  life.  Many  of  the  clubs  with  which  he 
is  connected  are  located  in  Chicago  as  his  business 
interests  during  his  short  residence  in  New  ^'ork 
have  kept  him  too  busy  to  devote  any  time  to 
club  life  here.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club,  Midday  Club,  Michigan  Society  and 
Indiana  Society  of  Chicago;  Oak  Park  Club,  Oak 
Park.  Illinois,  New  York  Athletic  Club  and  the 
Michigan  Society  of  New  York.  Mr.  Caldwell 
was  married  in  Ionia,  Michigan,  October  15. 
1 886,  to  Lucy  Smith  Patrick,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin S.  and  Harriet  E.  Patrick.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Helen  Marie  Caldwell.  Mr.  Cald- 
well's business  address  is  2  West  45th  Street  and 
he  resides  at  155  Riverside  Drive. 


124 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


STEINWA^  &  SONS 


The  firm  of  Steinuay  &  Sons  had  its  origin  in 
a  little  German  town  and  its  founder,  who  was 
a  builder  of  organs  in  a  small  way,  never  dreamed 
that  the  piano  he  there  evolved,  after  long  study,  was 
to  become  the  leader  in  musical  circles  the  world 
over.  This  man  who  revolutionized  piano  mak- 
ing was  Henry  Engelhard  Steinway,  born  in  the 
hamlet  of  Wolfshagen,  Duchy  of  Brunswick,  in 
the  Hartz  mountains,  February  15,  1797.  He 
was  in  military  service  until  2 1  and  then  learned 
the  art  of  building  church  organs.  He  began 
business  as  an  organ  builder  in  the  town  of  Seesen, 
at  the  foot  of  the  Hartz  mountams,  and  shortly 
afterwards   began   the  study  of   the  piano  with 


Steinway  &  Sons 

Factory   and   Warerooms   60  Years   Ago — First  Home  of   Firm  i 

a  view  to  its  improvement.  He  built  an  instru- 
ment for  his  son,  who  was  a  student  of  the  piano, 
and  his  improvement  in  the  mechanical  construc- 
tion, quality  and  perfection  of  tone  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  musical  people  of  the  town  and 
he  sold  it  for  a  large  sum.  His  success  in  the 
building  of  the  first  Steinway  led  him  to  give  his 
entire  attention  to  piano  building  thereafter.  The 
"Steinway"  soon  came  to  be  recognized  as  an  in- 
strument of  the  highest  excellence  and  many  medals 
were  awarded  it  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  In 
1 849,  Charles  Steinway,  eldest  son  of  Henry 
E.  Steinway,  came  to  America  to  look  over  the 


field  here  and  his  report  svas  so  favorable  that 
the  family,  with  the  exception  of  one  son,  came 
to  America  in  1850.  The  father,  Henry  E. 
Steinway,  invested  his  money  here  and  secured 
employment  in  a  piano  factory  and  on  March  5, 
1853,  he  began  business  on  his  own  account  in  a 
factory  on  Varick  Street.  In  1858  a  building 
at  48-50  Walker  Street  was  occupied  as  ware- 
rooms  and  offices,  the  firm  eventually  erecting  the 
building  which  it  still  occupies  on  Fourteenth 
Street  east  of  Fourth  Avenue,  with  two  large  man- 
ufacturing plants  in  Astoria.  The  Steinway 
piano  was  awarded  its  first  premium  at  the 
Metropolitan  Fair,  held  in  Washington  in  March, 
1854,  and  since  that  time  it  has  main- 
tained precedence  wherever  used  or 
exhibited  and  to-day  occupies  the  fore- 
most place  in  the  piano  industry.  In 
1862,  after  having  won  thirty-five 
American  medals,  the  piano  was 
awarded  a  first  prize  medal  at  the 
London  World's  Fair  and  in  1867, 

HI  ll  at  the  Paris  Exposition,  in  competition 
1^  with  the  foremost  European  makers, 
the  Steinway  square,  upright  and  per- 
fect grand  pianos  were  awa  rded  the 
first  of  the  grand  medals  of  honor. 
These  awards  gave  the  house  interna- 
tional fame  and  the  firm  became  suc- 
cessively the  court  piano  makers  to 
the  Queen  of  England,  the  Queen  of 
Spain,  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  the 
Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  and 
the  Queen  of  Italy,  etc.,  etc.  Their 
erica,  1858.  instruments  have  been  used  and  com- 
mended by  the  greatest  artists  and  com- 
posers of  the  world.  This  supremacy  of  the  Stein- 
way piano  has  been  attained  by  a  rule  of  the 
house  for  four  generations  that  every  male  member 
shall  be  a  practical  piano  maker  by  personal  ex- 
perience at  the  bench.  This  has  made  it  possible 
for  the  skill  that  has  produced  excellence  of  tone 
to  be  transmitted  from  father  to  son,  and  the  su- 
periority of  construction  maintained. 

The  present  officers  of  the  organization  are: 
Charles  H.  Steinway,  President;  Fred  T.  Stein- 
way and  Henry  Ziegler,  Vice-Presidents;  Fred- 
erick Reidemeister,  Treasurer,  and  Nahum  Stet- 
son, Secretary.  All  of  the  male  members  of  the 
Steinway  family  have  been  prominent  in  civic  af- 
fairs and  in  art  and  musical  circles. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


125 


Steinway  &   Sons'   Present   Offices  in  East   Fourteenth  Street 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


127 


HARRY  K.  BARR 


Harry  K.  Barr,  one  of  the  younger  school  ol 
freight  and  custom  house  brokers,  whose  ad- 
vanced methods  and  energy  have  brought  him  a 
large  clientele  and  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
those  with  whom  he  does  business,  was  born  and 
educated  in  New  York  City.  Nine  years  ago  he 
entered  the  employ  of  a  firm  in  the  same  line  and 
with  the  experience  gained  in  this  connection, 
started  in  business  for  himself  early  in  1916.  He 
had  formulated  a  plan  of  procedure  that  he 
thought  was  an  improvement  on  some  of  the  old 
methods  and  putting  this  into  effect  he  was  soon 
directing  a  large  and  steadily  growing  business. 
His  nine  years'  experience  as  a  freight  and  cus- 
toms broker,  forwarder  and  in  the  placing  of 
marine  insurance,  was  of  great  value  to  him  and 
to  this  general  line  he  recently  added  war 
insurance. 

He  has  well-equipped  offices  at  25  Beaver  Street 
and  the  best  facilities  for  taking  entire  care  of  ship- 
ments passing  through  New  York.  Representatives 
in  Liverpool,  London,  Havre  and  Buenos  Aires 
and  correspondents  in  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Sydney  and 
Melbourne,  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Nor- 
folk and  San  Francisco  place  him  in  a  po- 
sition to  give  every  attention  to  goods  en  route  to 
and  from  any  part  of  the  world.  Mr.  Barr  has  a 
wide  acquaintance  in  steamship  circles  and  special 
opportunity  for  the  am.algamation  of  freight  into 
considerable  tonnage,  and  this  places  him  in  a 
position  to  secure  freight  room  when  most  difficult 
to  obtain,  at  the  same  time  getting  extremely  ad- 
vantageous shipping  rates.  Doing  a  large  business 
with  the  insurance  companies,  with  which  he  is  in 
close  touch,  enables  him  to  give  unexcelled  service 
in  this  line.  As  a  freight  and  ship  broker  Mr. 
Barr  makes  contracts  on  either  spot,  future  or  long 
terms  on  all  classes  of  merchandise  and  arranges 
for  charters  for  either  steamer  or  sailing  vessel. 
He  renders  prompt,  efficient  and  reliable  service 
in  the  forwarding  of  freight  to  and  from  any  part 


of  the  world,  whether  in  single  case  or  train  load 
lots.  He  also  secures  through  bills  of  lading  and 
arranges  for  trucking,  lighterage  and  storage  at 
the  lowest  obtainable  rates. 

Through  Mr.  Barr's  office  marine  insurance  is 
effected  from  warehouse  to  warehouse,  with  all 
necessary  clauses  to  protect  the  shippers'  interest. 
He  does  business  with  over  230  underwriters  be- 
sides British,  French  and  American  governments 
and  this  places  him  in  a  position  to  get  the  lowest 
possible  rates  on  war  risks.  All  classes  of  mer- 
chandise, whether  in  storage  cars  or  on  docks,  are 
insured  against  fire  and  in  the  insurance  of  hulls 
and  full  cargoes,  either  steamer  or  sailing  vessels, 
Mr.  Barr  arranges  for  prompt  adjustment  and  pay- 
ment of  losses.  In  the  banking  department  ne- 
gotiable documents  are  handled,  bank  drafts  ar- 
ranged and  discounted  and  bills,  losses  and  claims 
collected.  He  also  acts  in  the  capacity  of  agent 
for  foreign  buyers  in  this  market.  Mr.  Barr  also 
conducts  a  statistical  department  which  furnishes 
information  on  the  imports  and  exports  from  any 
point  in  the  United  States  on  any  commodity.  For 
this  service  only  a  small  charge  is  made  to  cover 
postage,  etc.  He  also  furnishes  statistics  to  the 
Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C, 
and  to  the  Department  of  Agriculture  of  the  Do- 
minion of  Canada.  In  addition  to  his  maritime 
business  Mr.  Barr  is  President  of  The  H.  K.  Barr 
Company,  Inc.,  New  York,  which  is  engaged  in 
the  importation  and  refining  of  wool  grease  from 
.Australia.  This  product  is  converted  into  "De- 
greas"  and  is  used  as  the  basis  of  salves,  for  tan- 
ning purposes  and  the  softening  of  leathers. 

Mr.  Barr  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  Prod- 
uce Exchange,  New  York  Maritime  Exchange, 
Marine  and  Field  Golf  Club,  Waverly  Boat  Club, 
Foreign  Commerce  and  New  York  Commerce 
Clubs,  Lumberman's  Club  and  three  business  as- 
sociations. He  has  compiled  and  published  several 
articles  on  freight  and  stowage. 


128 


XRW    YORK    OLD    AND  \EW 


J.  NOAH  1  1.  SLKK 


Any  work  recording  achievement,  where  the 
efforts  of  tlie  individual  have  benefited  mankind 
by  lessening  labor,  and  by  the  preservation  of  per- 
sonal property  and  that  of  corporate  interests, 
would  be  incomplete  without  mention  of  J.  Noah 
H.  Slee,  discoverer  and  manufacturer  of  "Three- 
in-One  Oil."  Mr.  Slee.  who  after  years  of  re 
search  and  experiment  gave  to  the  world  this 
wonderful  compound,  is  the  son  of  English  parents 
and  was  born  in  Cape  Colony,  South  Africa, 
September  12,  1861.  He  came  to  this  country 
when  quite  a  young  man  and  his  education  was 
received  in  the  public  schools  and  at  Loyola  Col- 
lege and  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  Business  College, 
Baltimore,    Md.     Aftei    the    completion    of  his 


schooling  he  began  his  business  career  with  the 
firm  of  Hurst,  Purnell  &  Co.  and,  after  a  year 
with  that  house,  came  to  New  York  in  October, 
1881,  where  he  was  for  ten  years  employed  by 
Whitney  &  Kemmerer,  miners  and  shippers  ol 
anthracite  coal.  He  subsequently  purchased  an 
interest  in  a  varnish  company,  of  which  he  be- 
came Treasurer  and  it  was  during  this  period  thai 
he  found  a  process  for  manufacturing  a  lubricating 
oil  that  by  reason  of  its  remarkable  smoothness 
was  especially  adapted  for  bicycle  use.  Contin- 


uing his  experimental  work,  he  evolved  "  1  hree- 
in-One  Oil,'"  a  compound  that  flows  right  to  the 
heart  of  every  bearing  and  friction  point;  that  cuts 
out  and  works  out  all  foreign  matter;  never  gums 
or  hardens;  never  heats  up  or  smokes  at  any  rate 
of  speed;  that  cleans  and  polishes  veneered  and 
varnished  surfaces,  and  which,  by  thoroughly  filling 
every  pore  of  metal,  prevents  rust  or  tarnish  in 
any  climate,  in  any  weather.  It  is  absolutely  free 
from  acid,  alkali  or  any  other  harmful  ingredient, 
will  not  soil  the  hands  or  the  most  delicate  fabric, 
and  has  no  varnish  odor,  but,  on  the  contrary,  has 
a  clean,  sweet  smell.  It  can  be  used  as  a  furniture 
polish,  on  dusting  cloths  and  on  mops  for  hard 
wood  floors.  " Three-in-One  Oil"  can  be  used 
for  any  purpose  where  a  polish,  anti-rust  compound 
or  cleanser  is  needed.  Leading  arms  companies 
pronounce  the  product  unequalled  as  a  rust  pre- 
ventive and  lubricant  and  its  superior  qualities, 
from  every  point  of  view  and  for  every  purpose, 
have  made  it  known  wherever  a  lubricant,  anti-rust 
compound  or  cleanser,  is  used.  "Three-in-One 
Oil"  has  been  on  the  market  twenty-two  years, 
and,  as  its  name  implies,  is  one  compound  that 
iserves  three  distinct  purposes — and  serves  each  one 
well.  It  is  manufactured  in  two  well-equipped 
factories,  one  of  which  is  located  at  Rahway, 
N.  J.,  and  the  other  at  Montreal.  Canada.  In 
each  of  these  "Three-in-One  Oil"  is  prepared, 
bottled,  corked,  labeled  and  packed  by  the  latest 
machinery.  It  is  put  up  in  one,  three  and  eight 
ounce  bottles,  retailing  for  ten,  twenty-five  and 
fifty  cents  respectively,  and  also  in  patented  handy 
oil  cans  at  twenty-five  cents  each.  The  coinpany 
has  agencies  in  London,  Australia,  New  Zealand, 
South  America,  China  and  Japan.  Mr.  Slee  is 
President,  and  practically  owner,  of  the  corpora- 
tion and  under  his  personal  supervision  the  busi- 
ness has  grown  to  large  proportions.  It  is  the 
successor  of  the  G.  W.  Cole  Co..  organized  in 
1894.  of  which  Mr.  Slee  was  Treasurer.  Mr. 
Slee  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  "one  idea,  one 
product  business"  and  is  not  active  in  any  other 
corporation — hence  the  wonderful  success  of 
"Three-in-One  Oil."  He  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce,  New  York 
Club.  Alpine  Club  of  Canada.  Merchants'  Asso- 
ciation of  New  York.  Chamber  of  Commerce  ot 
the  United  States  of  America,  the  New  Jersey 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  is  a  Director  of  the 
I  rade  Mark  Title  Co.  He  was  married  in  June, 
1 890,  to  Mary  Roosevelt  West,  the  union  bring- 
ing three  children:  Elizabeth  L..  James  N..  and 
Lincoln  W.  Slee.  His  busines.s  address  is  42 
Broadway. 


CHAPTER  EIGHT 


Bench  and  Bar  of  New  York 


Some  of  the  Most  Noted  Practitioners  of  the  City — Law  Reforms  and  Prog- 
ress IN  Simplified  Practic  e. 


IN  I  795  John  Jay,  then  the  most  distinguished 
lawyer  of  New  York,  was  chosen  its  Governor, 
just  after  he  had  closed  with  Great  Britain  a 
treaty  that  gave  to  the  United  States  the  freedom 
of  the  seas  but  brought  to  him  individually  the 
wrath  and  vituperation  of  the  anti-Federalists. 
Before  his  mission  to  England  at  which  this  treaty 
was  drafted  he  had  given  many  and  important 
services  to  the  cause  of  Independence.  Jay  drafted 
the  State  Constitution  which  was  adopted  by  the 
Convention  of  1776-1777  which  met  successively 
at  Harlem,  Kingsbridge,  Phillipse  Manor,  White 
Plains,  Poughkeepsie  and  Kingston.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  secret  committee  which  had  charge 
of  plans  to  defeat  conspiracies  against  American 
liberties  and  which  by  a  vigorous  system  of  arrests, 
imprisonments  and  banishments  frustrated  many 
Loyalist  attempts  to  ruin  the  patriot  cause.  He 
was  chosen  the  first  Chief  Justice  of  the  State, 
holding  his  first  term  at  Kingston  on  September  9, 
1777.  With  Adams  and  Franklin  he  was  on  the 
committee  that  concluded  the  treaty  of  peace  with 
Great  Britain  and  he  became  the  first  Chief  Jus- 
tice of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
He  consented  to  be  a  candidate  for  Governor  of 
New  York  in  1  792  but  the  canvassers  declined  on 
technical  grounds  to  count  certain  votes  given  for 
Jay  which  would  have  made  a  majority  in  his 
favor,  and  Governor  Clinton  was  declared  elected. 
He  became  Governor  in  I  795,  however,  and  was 
re-elected  to  a  second  term,  w  hich  ended  in  1  80 1 , 
and  after  that  retired  to  his  estate  in  Westchester 
County  where  he  lived  quietly,  declining  a  reap- 
pointment to  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  by  President  Adams.  He  died  at  Bedford, 
Westchester  County,  May  I  7,  I  829,  in  his  eighty- 
fourth  year.  Daniel  Webster  said  of  him: 
"When  the  spotless  ermine  of  the  judicial  robe  fell 
on  John  Jay  it  touched  nothing  less  spotless  than 
itself." 

Among  Jay's  contemporaries  at  the  bar  of  New 


York  was  Aaron  Burr,  one  of  the  most  adroit 
practitioners  at  the  New  York  bar,  a  politician 
who  missed  the  higher  statesmanship  for  which  his 
abilities  fitted  him  through  his  overweening  ambition 
and  his  overreaching  cunning.  James  Duane,  who 
had  been  the  first  Mayor  of  New  York  after  the 
British  evacuation,  twice  State  Senator,  one  of  the 
original  members  of  the  Continental  Congress  and 
United  States  Judge  from  1  789  to  1  794,  had 
retired  from  practice  in  1  795  and  died  in 
1797. 

He  had  been  one  of  the  recognized  leaders  of 
the  New  York  bar  before  his  appointment  to  the 
bench.  Chancellor  Robert  R.  Livingston,  a  col- 
lege classmate  and  later  for  a  time  a  law  partner 
of  John  Jay,  was  a  successful  lawyer  but  is  noted 
as  having  been  the  first  Chancellor  of  the  State 
of  Ne\N'  York  (1777-1801),  then  becoming  Min- 
ister to  France  in  Jefferson's  administration.  In 
that  capacity  he  was  an  especial  favorite  of  Na- 
poleon Bonaparte,  with  whom  he  successfully  ne- 
gotiated the  treaty  ceding  Louisiana  to  the  United 
States.  He  was  a  famous  orator  and  was  called 
by  Franklin  the  "Cicero  of  America."  In  adapt- 
ing the  principles  of  chancery  practice  to  the  ideas 
and  genius  of  a  republic  he  accomplished  a  note- 
worthy work.  His  decisions  in  chancery  are  said 
to  have  been  able  and  accurate  but  unfortunately 
his  opinions  do  not  appear  in  formal  reports.  His 
successor.  Chancellor  James  Kent,  is  better  known 
to  the  lawyers  of  America  because  his  decisions  as 
a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  the  Court  of 
Errors  and  Appeals,  1798-1814,  and  as  Chan- 
cellor of  New  York,  1814-1823,  are  recorded  in 
Caine  and  Johnson's  Reports.  His  "Commentaries 
on  American  Law"  are  as  basic  in  the  realm  of 
American  interpretation  as  Blackstone's  great  work 
became  to  the  common  law  of  England.  Up  to 
the  time  that  James  Kent  became  Chief  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  New  York,  law  in  the 
United  States  was  in  an  inchoate  condition.  The 


130 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


piccedenis  appealed  to  were  lound  in  the  decisions 
of  the  English  courts;  the  forms  and  pro:edure  oi 
courts  were  copied  from  those  of  English  courts. 
The  common  law  of  England  was  in  full  force 
except  as  repealed  and  modified  by  constitution, 
treaties  or  statutes.  Federal  or  State.  The  great 
constructive  work  of  these  judges  of  the  earlier 
courts  was  the  defining  of  these  modifications  of 
common  law  as  well  as  declaring  the  scope  and 
limitations  of  our  own  constitutions  and  statutes;  in 
a  word,  lo  create  an  entirely  new  body  of  jurispru- 
dence. While  the  earlier  judges  had  made  these 
applications  and  declared  these  modifications 
in  particular  cases,  the  value  of  their  work  had 
been  circumscribed  by  the  fact  that  their  decisions 
were  unpublished — thus  unavailable  as  precedents. 
Judicial  decisions  were  largely  oral,  or  if  written 
were  brief  and  merely  stated  conclusions.  Chicl 
Justice  and  later  Chancellor  James  Kent  origi- 
nated in  this  country  the  custom  of  presenting,  with 
his  decision  in  all  cases  of  sufficient  importance  lo 
make  a  precedent,  a  written,  argumentative  opin- 
ion, with  the  citation  of  legal  authorities.  He  thus 
exerted  a  more  potent  influence,  upon  the  con- 
structive side,  upon  American  jurisprudence  than 
any  other  man  in  its  history.  As  a  Chancellor 
it  was  his  province  to  apply  the  principles  of  equity, 
which  had  been  created  through  a  long  line  of 
English  precedents,  to  conditions  as  they  were  in 
the  State  of  New  York.  At  the  age  of  60  he  re- 
tired from  the  bench  in  1823  under  a  law,  later 
repealed,  which  limited  the  continuance  of  judge- 
ships to  that  age.  Before  his  appointment  to  the 
judgeship  he  had  been  a  professor  of  law  in 
Columbia  University,  and  he  resumed  this  chaii 
from  1823  to  1825,  then  retiring  to  devote  his 
entire  time  to  legal  authorship,  chamber  practice  and 
the  decision  of  legal  controversies  that  were  often 
submitted  to  his  judgment  to  be  settled  out  of  cour!. 
While  Chief  Justice  he  was  ably  backed  in  his 
constructive  work  by  Justices  Smith  Thompson  and 
Ambrose  Spencer.  Judge  Thompson  was  for 
some  time  resident  in  New  York  City  and  decHned 
appointment  to  the  Mayoralty  of  the  city.  When 
Kent  became  Chancellor  in  1814,  he  was  ap- 
pointed Chief  Justice  until  entering  President 
Monroe's  Cabinet  in  1818  as  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  and  after  1823  served  as  Associate  Justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  until  his 
death  in  1843. 

Morgan  Lewis,  who  had  been  a  Colonel  in  the 
Continental  Army  and  was  a  brother-in-law  of 
Chancellor  Livingston,  was  Chief  Justice  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  New  York  from  1  792  until 
his  election  as  Governor  of  New  York,  1804, 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Justice  Kent.  He  did 
not  enter  upon  the  practice  of  law  after  ending  his 
term  but  devoted  himself  to  agriculture  until  1812, 
when  he  re-entered  the  army  as  Quartermaster 
General.  He  was  promoted  to  Major-General  in 
1813,  serving  on  the  Niagara  frontier,  where  he 


c  (iplured  l  ort  George  and  commanded  at  Sacketls 
Harbor  and  French  Creek. 

Alexander  Hamilton,  great  as  a  statesman, 
orator  and  financier,  was  equally  eminent  as  a 
lawyer  and  constantly  engaged  as  counsel  in  im- 
portant causes. 

Another  lawyer  distinguished  for  his  learning 
and  eloquence  was  Egbert  Benson,  who  was  the 
first  Attorney-General  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
I  787-1  789,  serving  partly  during  the  same  period 
in  the  Continental  Congress,  1784-1788,  and 
as  a  member  of  the  First  and  Second  Congresses, 
1789-1793.  He  was  Judge  of  the  New  York 
Supreme  Court,  1794-1802.  then  for  a  time 
United  States  Circuit  Judge,  and  member  of  Con- 
gress again,  181  3-181  5.  Several  of  the  men  who 
attained  high  eminence  at  the  bar  and  on  the  bench, 
including  Chancellor  Kent,  were  his  pupils.  As 
practitioner,  before  his  appointment  to  the  Supreme 
bench,  he  ranked  as  one  of  the  four  most  success- 
ful, the  other  three  being  Alexander  Hamilton, 
Edward  Livingston  and  Aaron  Burr. 

Colonel  Richard  Varick,  who  was  Mayor  of 
New  York  from  1  791  to  1801,  was  also  a  prom- 
inent lawyer  of  that  period.  In  I  789  he  was 
appointed,  with  Samuel  Jones,  Recorder  of  the 
City  of  New  York  to  revise  the  Statutes  of  the 
State  of  New  York.  But  most  of  that  work  was 
done  by  Recorder  Jones.  The  latter,  then  66 
years  old,  held  a  high  place  in  the  respect  of  the 
bar  at  which,  before  taking  this  judicial  position, 
he  had  been  an  acknowledged^  leader.  After 
holding  the  office  eight  years  he  was  appointed 
to  the  newly  created  office  of  Comptroller  of  the 
City  of  New  York  and  then  retired  to  private  life, 
dying  in  1819.  Dr.  Hosack  said  of  him  that 
he  was  by  common  consent  known  as  the  "Father 
of  the  New  York  Bar."  Judge  Samuel  Jones 
like  Judge  Benson  was  the  preceptor  of  many 
brilliant  lawyers,  including  DeWitt  Clinton  and 
his  own  two  sons,  Samuel  Jones,  Junior,  and 
David  S.  Jones,  both  of  whom  attained  distinction 
at  the  New  York  bar.  Samuel  Jones,  Jr.,  was 
especially  prominent,  becoming  Recorder  of  the 
City  in  1823,  Chancellor  of  the  State  from  1826 
to  1 828,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of 
New  York  City,  1828  to  1847,  and  Justice  of 
the  State  Supreme  Court  from  1847  to  1849,  then 
retiring  from  the  bench  at  the  age  of  eighty  and, 
like  his  father,  being  often  called  the  "Father  of 
the  New  York  Bar." 

There  are  numerous  cases  of  hereditary  prom- 
inence at  the  bar  of  New  York.  A  case  in  point 
is  that  of  Josiah  Ogden  Hoffman  and  his  sons. 
Mr.  Hoffman  was  a  sound  lawyer,  a  gifted  orator 
and  a  man  of  social  prominence.  He  was  one  of 
the  first  members  of  the  Tammany  Society  or  Co- 
lumbian Order,  which  was  instituted  in  May,  I  789. 
The  Society  was  at  first  non-partisan.  Of  its  first 
seventeen  officers  only  three  were  anti-Federalist. 
Hoffman,  also  a  Federalist,  became  Grand  Sachem 


West  Street  Building 


132 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


III  1791  and  took  aclive  part  in  many  patriotic 
celebrations.  He  was  a  successful  practitioner 
and  was  Recorder  of  New  York  in  1810-1811 
and  in  1813-1815.  Two  of  his  sons  became  em- 
ment  lawyers,  Murray  Hoffman.  (1791-1878), 
becoming  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New- 
York  Cily,  1853-1861,  and  being  a  noted  writer 
of  books  of  law  and  practice  in  the  courts  and  of 
the  ritual  and  canon  law  of  the  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church;  and  Ogden  Hoffman  (1793- 
1856),  becoming  famous,  especially  as  a  criminal 
lawyer.  He  was  District  Attorney  of  New  York 
County,  1829-1835.  and  during  twenty-five  years 
was  counsel  in  almost  every  noted  criminal  trial 
in  New  York  and  in  many  important  civil  cases. 

In  all  its  history,  from  the  time  of  the  British 
occupation  to  this  day.  New  York  has  been  the 
home  of  lawyers  of  the  highest  distinction.  It  is 
not  possible  in  this  chapter  to  mention  more  than 
a  few  of  the  most  constructive.  Of  these  some- 
thing may  be  said  of  those  who  at  various  times 
have  been  identified  with  the  important  work  of 
consolidating  and  codifying  the  laws.  Mention 
has  been  made  of  Jones'  and  Varick's  revision. 
There  was  another  revision  published  nine  years 
after  that  one,  a  privately  compiled  and  published 
work  by  Thomas  Greenleaf,  which  was  recognized 
by  the  courts  as  a  faithful  work  and  thus  accorded 
a  quasi-judicial  sanction.  Justices  Kent  and  Rad- 
cliff  prepared  the  next  revision,  under  the  prcr\ision 
of  an  Act  of  1801.  This  lasted  until  in  1813  a 
revision  was  completed,  pursuant  to  an  act  of  the 
Legislature,  by  William  Peter  Van  Nest  (an  able 
lawyer  who  had  been  Aaron  Burr's  second  in  his 
duel  with  Alexander  Hamilton),  and  John  Wood- 
worth  of  Albany. 

7  he  next  revision  w  as  made  under  an  act  passed 
in  1824  for  a  revision  by  three  revisers.  This 
revision  was  called  for  on  account  of  changes 
made  in  the  law  by  the  Constitution  of  1 82 1  - 
1823.  There  were  at  that  time  sharp  divisions 
of  opinion  as  to  the  degree  of  revision  needed. 
Chancellor  Kent,  who  was  the  extreme  of  conserv- 
atism on  the  subject,  was  one  of  the  three  chosen 
on  the  Revision  Commission  by  Governor  Gates ; 
Erastus  Root,  who  had  served  in  Congress  from 
Delhi,  N.  Y..  and  was  then  Lieutenant-Governor 
and  a  radical  on  the  question  of  law  reform,  was 
the  second  and  the  third  was  Benjamin  Franklin 
Butler,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-nine  years, 
who  was  a  partner  of  Martin  Van  Buren  and 
District  Attorney  of  Albany  County.  Chancellor 
Kent  declined  to  act  on  the  commission  and  John 
Duer  of  New  York  City,  especially  prominent  as 
an  insurance  lawyer,  was  substituted.  There  was 
a  lack  of  harmony  in  the  commission.  Messrs. 
Duer  and  Butler  submitted  to  the  Legislature  of 
1825  a  report  in  which  they  suggested  that  not 
only  a  reduction  of  all  laws  on  the  same  subjects 
into  chapters  was  necessary  but  also  an  entire  new 
arrangement  of  existing  statutes.      General  Root 


had  not  concurred  in  their  plans  but  had  proceeded 
on  his  own  account  with  a  revision  of  the  laws  re- 
lating to  taxation  and  highways.  An  amended 
bill  was  proposed  in  harmony  with  these  sugges- 
tions and  the  name  of  Henry  Wheaton  was  sub- 
stituted for  that  of  General  Root  on  the  commis- 
sion. Mr.  Wheaton  had  been  a  Justice  of  the 
Marine  Court  in  New  York  City  and  was  then 
reporter  for  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  ot 
decisions  which  he  compiled  in  a  manner  that  made 
his  twelve  volumes  of  reports  an  exemplar  of  edi- 
torial efficiency  in  law  reporting.  Mr.  Wheaton 
did  good  work  on  the  first  part  of  the  Revised 
Statutes  but,  being  appointed  in  1827  as  the  first 
diplomatic  representative  ever  sent  by  the  United 
States  to  Denmark,  his  place  on  the  commission 
was  taken  by  State  Senator  John  Canfield  Spencer 
of  Albany  (later  Secretary  of  War  of  the  United 
States).  I  he  Revised  Statutes  that  resulted  from 
the  labors  of  this  commission  were  a  great  step 
forward  in  the  simplification  of  New  ^'ork  law  and 
procedure,  bringing  great  credit  to  its  members  and 
especially  to  Mr.  Butler,  who  gained  a  great  repu- 
tation as  a  lawyer,  which  he  later  increased  as 
Attorney-General  of  the  United  States  in  General 
Jackson's  and  part  of  Van  Buren's  administra- 
tions. He  was  United  States  District  Attorney  for 
the  Southern  District  of  New  York  from  1838  to 
1  84  1 .  He  organized  the  faculty  of  law  of  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York  in  1835  and 
became  its  principal  law  professor  in  1837.  John 
Duer,  the  other  chief  reviser,  became  by  election 
a  justice  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New  York  and 
its  Chief  Justice  from  185  7  until  his  death  on 
August  8,  1858.  On  the  law  of  insurance  he 
was  author  of  works  of  high  authority  at  that 
period. 

The  next  important  general  change  in  the  body 
of  the  laws  of  New  York  came  with  the  Consti- 
tutional Convention  of  I  846  made  necessary  by  the 
agrarian  or  so-called  "no  rent"  disturbances  which 
were  largely  justified  by  the  enforcement  of  the 
archaic  tyrannies  made  possible  to  landlords  by 
the  colonial  laws  about  land  which  survived  the 
constitutional  revision  of  1  82  1 .  Of  the  prom- 
inent New  York  lawyers  who  took  part  in  the 
making  of  the  Constitution  of  1846,  the  fame  of 
two,  Samuel  Jones  Tilden  and  Charles  O'Conor, 
had  already  been  firmly  established  and  continued 
undiminished  for  about  forty  years  afterward. 
Charles  O'Conor  was  born  in  1804,  Mr.  Tilden 
in  1814.  and  William  Maxwell  Evarts.  whose 
career  ran  almost  parallel  with  theirs,  in  1818. 
The  three  were  closely  associated  in  later  years 
in  the  work  of  exposing,  prosecuting  and  breaking 
up  the  "Tweed  ring." 

Another  distinguished  lawyer  of  that  mid-cen- 
tury period  was  Thomas  Jackson  Oakley,  who 
had  been  in  practice  at  Poughkeepsie  for  years, 
had  served  in  Congress  and  was  one  of  the  leading 
Democrats  supporting  the  candidacies  and  meas- 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


133 


ures  of  DeWitt  Clinton.  He  had  served  as  At- 
torney-General of  the  State  and  in  I  828  was  ap- 
pointed Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  New  York 
City.  When  the  court  was  reorganized  after  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution  of  1846,  he  was  ap- 
pointed its  Chief  Justice,  serving  as  such  until  his 
death  in  May,  1857. 

It  was  the  Constitution  of  1 846  that  set  in 
motion  the  greatest  star  in  the  orbit  of  legal  re- 
form— David  Dudley  Field,  brother  of  Cyrus 
West  Field  whose  impress  on  the  city's  progress 
has  been  noted  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The 
Constitution  of  1846  had  made  a  considerable  ad- 
vance toward  freeing  the  people  of  New  York 
from  antiquated  legal  forms  and  processes  and  had 
directed  that  the  first  Legislature  of  the  State 
should  take  steps  to  secure  codification  of  the 
laws  of  the  Stale.  The  question  of  the  scope  of 
the  proposed  codification  became  one  of  great  in- 
terest to  the  members  of  the  New  York  bar  and  the 
problem  was  made  more  clear  by  the  discussion 
which  followed  a  tentative  treatise  published  by 
David  Dudley  Field  in  January,  1847,  entitled 
'•What  Shall  Be  Done  With  the  Practice  of  the 
Courts?  Shall  It  Be  Wholly  Reformed? 
Questions  Addressed  to  Lawyers."  The  result 
was  the  signing  of  a  memorial  by  lawyers  all  over 
the  State,  urging  the  Legislature  to  abolish  old 
forms  of  action  and  to  provide  a  uniform  course 
of  proceedings  in  all  cases,  whether  of  legal  or 
equitable  cognizance.  On  April  8,  1847,  the 
Legislature  passed  an  act  appointing  Aphaxed 
Loomis,  David  Graham,  and  Nicholas  Hill  com- 
missioners on  practice  and  pleadings.  Later  Mr. 
Hill  resigned  and  David  Dudley  Field  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place,  by  resolution  of  the  two 
houses,  September  29,  1847.  The  first  instalment 
of  a  Code  of  Civil  Procedure  was  enacted  on 
February  29,  1848,  to  take  effect  on  July  I 
following.  Other  instalments  were  submitted  but 
their  passage  was  delayed.  An  Act  passed  in 
1857  appointed  David  Dudley  Field,  William 
Curtis  Noyes  and  Alexander  Bradford  commis- 
sioners to  codify  so  much  of  the  law  as  was  not 
included  in  the  reports  of  the  commissioners  on 
pleading  and  practice,  reported  to  the  Legislature 
in  1850.     Lnder  this  appointm.ent  were  prepared 


civil,  criminal,  penal  and  political  codes,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  codes  of  Civil  and  Criminal  Proce- 
dure submitted  up  to  I  850  and  later  adopted.  The 
whole  body  of  law  was  covered  by  the  codifica- 
tion but  the  civil  and  political  codes  were  not 
adopted,  though  the  penal  and  criminal  codes 
were.  The  work  done  by  Mr.  Field  in  this  codi- 
fication (for  the  creative  part  of  it  was  almost 
wholly  his)  stands  out  as  the  greatest  and  most 
constructive  work  ever  accomplished  for  the  sim- 
plifying and  making  straight  the  way  of  the  law. 

Mr.  Field  by  his  work  has  created  a  move- 
ment for  legal  reform  which  has  spread  not  only 
all  over  this  country  but  abroad.  California  and 
South  Dakota  have  adopted  his  civil  as  well  as 
his  criminal  and  penal  codes,  and  his  work  has 
been  adopted  in  some  measure  in  the  improvement 
of  law  in  almost  all  the  States,  and  also  in  Eng- 
land, India  and  Australia.  He  was  one  of  Amer- 
ica's greatest  lawyers  and  continued  in  practice  un- 
til he  retired  on  the  completion  of  his  eightieth 
year,  m  1885.     He  died  m  1894. 

Coming  down  to  recent  years  it  would  be  possi- 
ble to  mention  many  lawyers  of  our  own  time 
whose  rank  at  the  bar  equals  that  of  any  of  these. 
Joseph  H.  Choate  was  one  of  these,  a  man  of 
deepest  learning,  perfect  mastery  of  procedure  and 
matchless  oratory.  He  died,  the  "Nestor  of  the 
New  York  Bar,"  a  few  months  ago. 

Roscoe  Conkling,  Senator  from  New  York  for 
many  years,  had  his  home  in  Utica,  N.  \.,  but 
after  he  left  the  Senate  he  practised  law  in  New 
York  until  his  death. 

William  Mills  Ivins,  who  died  two  years  ago, 
was  a  lawyer  especially  noted  for  his  expert  legal 
knowledge  of  matters  affecting  the  city  and  its  de- 
partments. He  had  served  as  Comptroller  of 
New  York  and  had  made  a  deep  and  continuous 
study  of  its  problems. 

There  never  was  a  stronger  or  more  virile  bar 
in  New  York  than  now.  The  methods  of  proce- 
dure have  changed  and  lawyers  like  other  pro- 
fessional men  have  been  impelled  to  specialize  but, 
taken  as  a  whole,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  other  city 
has  ever  gathered  a  better  or  more  representative 
group  of  legal  minds  than  that  now  in  New  York 
City. 


134 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


LINDLE^'  M. 

Lindley  M.  Garrison,  former  Secretary  of  War 
in  President  Wilson's  Cabinet  and  one  time  Vice- 
Chancellor  of  New  Jersey,  recently  made  his  entry 
into  New  York  legal  circles  as  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Hornblower,  Miller,  Garrison  & 
Potter  of  24  Broad  Street.  Mr.  Garrison  was 
born  in  Camden,  N.  J.,  November  28,  1864,  the 
son  of  Rev.  Joseph  Fithian  and  Elizabeth  Vanars- 
dale  (Grant)  Garrison.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  home  city  and  afterwards  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Academy,  Philadelphia.  This 
was  followed  by  a  year's  study  at  ^Phillip's  Exeter 
Academy,  Exeter,  N.  H.,  and  a  course  as  a  spe- 
cial student  with  the  class  of  1886,  at  Harvard 
University.     In  the  meantime  he  had  been  reading; 


law  in  the  offices  of  Redding,  Jones  &  Carson, 
Philadelphia,  and  was  admitted  to  practice  in  his 
Harvard  year.  He  remained  with  his  preceptors 
until  1 888,  when  he  was  admitted  to  practice  \n 
the  State  of  New  Jersey.  He  opened  an  office  in 
Camden  and  soon  numbered  many  large  firms 
among  his  clients,  for  whom  he  appeared  in  a 
number  of  important  litigations  involving  issues  of 
great  moment,  and  he  soon  became  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  New  Jersey  bar.  Much 


GARRISON 

of  Mr.  Garrison's  practice  was  in  the  eastern  end 
of  the  State  and  this  led  him  to  organize  the  firm 
of  Garrison,  McManus  &  Enright,  with  offices  in 
Jersey  City,  in  1899.  During  the  ensuing  five 
years  the  firm  was  one  of  the  most  active  in  the 
State.  Mr.  Garrison  went  on  the  bench  as  Vice- 
Chancellor  of  the  State,  June  15,  1904,  and  was 
out  of  active  practice  from  that  time  until  his  recent 
entry  into  the  firm  of  Hornblower,  Miller.  Garrison 
&  Potter.  On  March  5,  1913,  President  Wil- 
son named  him  as  Secretary  of  War  and  he  was 
looked  upon  in  many  quarters  as  the  ablest  man 
in  the  Cabinet.  Throughout  his  term  of  service- 
he  showed  a  disposition  to  grapple  with  problem^ 
at  the  start,  to  act  decisively  and  plan  wisely. 
Never  was  he  lacking  for  ways  and  means  to  ef- 
fect an  end,  and  at  no  time  did  he  show  a  dis- 
position to  shirk  what  he  conceived  to  be  his  duty. 
He  piloted  the  army  through  some  of  its  most  try- 
ing years  and  left  the  service  in  a  much  better 
condition  than  he  found  it,  although  unable  to 
execute  carefully  considered  plans  of  expansion. 
It  is  generally  known  that  Mr.  Garrison  quit  be- 
cause his  scheme  for  a  Continental  Army  was  not 
supported  by  the  Administration,  after  he  had  re- 
ceived assurances  of  such  support.  This  scheme, 
briefly,  provided  for  a  regular  army  of  140,000 
men,  a  National  Guard  of  1  30,000  and  a  Conti- 
nental army  of  400,000  men.  The  latter  was 
to  be  distinct  from  the  National  Guard,  with  en- 
listment for  six  years.  Members  would  be  re- 
quired to  drill  two  months  a  year  for  the  first 
three  years,  receiving  regular  army  pay  while  with 
the  colors.  During  the  second  three  years  they 
would  be  subject  to  call  at  any  time.  Mr.  Gar- 
rison, after  long  consultation  with  army  chiefs  and 
a  close  analysis  of  the  subject  for  himself,  saw  in 
this  plan  a  great  reserve  force  of  troops  for  any 
demand.  Almost  from  the  day  he  took  office 
this  idea  of  a  reserve  was  prominent  in  all  of  hi? 
suggestions.  He  developed  the  Continental  plan 
with  infinite  pains,  believing  that  it  would  form  the 
nucleus  of  an  adequate  defence  force  which  the 
future  was  destined  to  bring.  When  he  saw  his 
expectations  dashed  to  the  ground,  with  a  com- 
promise offered  between  the  Continental  army  and 
the  National  Guard,  he  very  properly  quit. 

Mr.  Garrison  gave  many  evidences  of  organ- 
izing and  executive  ability  while  Secretary  of  War. 
He  undertook  a  personal  examination  of  the 
Panama  Canal  in  an  effort  to  combat  the  frequent 
slides  and  his  work  helped  to  increase  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  big  waterway.  All  of  his  energies 
were  exerted  to  upbuild  the  army  and  his  efforts 
along  this  line  have  borne  fruit  and  are  destined 
to  influence  the  army  of  the  future. 

Mr.  Garrison  was  married  June  30,  1 900.  to- 
Margaret  Hildeburn,  of  Philadelphia. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


135 


THOMAS  CARMODY 


Hon.  Thomas  Carmody.  for  two  terms  Attor- 
ney-General ot  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
widely  known  as  a  lecturer  and  public  speaker,  was 
born  in  Milo,  Yates  County,  N.  Y.,  October  9. 
1859,  son  of  Thomas  and  Mary  (Connors)  Car- 
mody. His  father  was  a  successful  farmer  and  as 
a  boy  and  young  man  Mr.  Carmody  assisted  in 
the  work  of  the  farm  and  developed  into  a  strong 
and  rugged  man.  His  prelimmary  education  was 
received  in  the  public  schools  of  the  neighborhood, 
preparing  for  college  at  Penn  Yan  Academy  and 
after  leaving  that  institution  taught  school  for  two 
years. 

He  then  entered  Cornell  University  with  the 
class  of  1882,  remaining  there  for  three  years. 
While  at  the  University  he  studied  law  in  the  of- 


fice  of  A.  A.  Hungerford  at  Ithaca.  On  April 
1,  1886,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  Immedi- 
ately upon  his  admission  to  the  bar  Mr.  Carmody 
began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  Penn  Yan 
and  soon  succeeded  in  building  up  an  extensive 
and  successful  practice.  In  1 889  Governor  Hill 
appointed  him  to  the  District  Attorneyship  of 
Yates  County  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the 
death  of  Hon.  Charles  S.  Baker.  Mr.  Carmody 
in  this  position  showed  himself  a  capable  and  fear- 
less prosecuting  officer  and  added  greatly  to  his 
reputation  as  a  lawyer. 

Mr.  Carmody  has  always  been  a  loyal  Democrat 
and  early  became  active  in  local  party  matters, 
becoming  a  power  in  the  party  in  Yates  County 


and  throughout  the  State.  In  February,  1893. 
he  was  appointed  Chief  Examiner  of  the  New 
York  State  Civil  Service  Commission,  in  which 
position  he  rendered  particularly  efficient  service. 
He  continued  in  the  office  until  January  1 ,  I  896, 
the  last  year  being  under  a  Republican  Commis- 
sion and  a  Republican  State  administration. 

In  Novembei,  1910,  Mr.  Carmody  was  elected 
.Attorney-General  of  the  State  of  New  York  and 
was  re-elected  to  this  office  in  November,  1912. 
In  the  latter  year  he  persistently  declined  to  be  a 
candidate  for  the  nomination  for  Governor,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  prominent  Democrats, 
who  had  the  power  to  carry  out  their  choice,  re- 
quested him  to  become  a  candidate.  At  no  time 
would  he  permit  his  name  to  be  used  as  a  candidate 
for  Governor  while  holding  the  office  of  Attorney- 
General,  always  taking  the  position  that  he  would 
accept  no  office  except  that  of  Attorney-General 
as  he  wished  to  devote  the  rest  of  his  life  to  the 
practice  of  law,  having  no  liking  whatever  for  the 
glamor  attached  to  a  public  position — no  desire 
for  the  possession  merely  of  political  honor  or 
power.  As  Attorney-General  of  the  State,  Mr. 
Carmody  made  an  unusually  excellent  record  and 
has  the  remarkable  distinction  of  never  having 
had  one  of  his  many  decisions  reversed  by  the 
courts. 

On  September  1,  1914,  Mr.  Carmody  resigned 
as  Attorney-General  to  again  take  up  the  active 
practice  of  his  profession,  forming  a  partnership 
with  First  Deputy  Attorney-General  Joseph  A. 
Kellogg,  State  Senator  George  A.  Blauvelt,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Carmody,  Kellogg  &  Blauvelt, 
the  offices  of  the  firm  being  at  61  Broadway,  New 
York  City. 

This  firm  continued  until  December  1,  1915, 
when  it  was  changed  to  Carmody,  Kellogg  & 
Gormly,  which  co-partnership  still  remains. 

While  so  eminently  successful  in  his  profession 
and  in  the  arena  of  active  politics,  Mr.  Carmody's 
interests  have  extended  beyond  those  fields  of  ef- 
fort. He  has  always  been  actively  interested  in 
educational  matters  and  for  a  number  of  years  was 
a  Trustee  of  the  Penn  Yan  Academy  and  of 
Keuka  College.  He  has  been  a  careful  student  of 
various  subjects  outside  his  profession  and  has  won 
renown  on  the  lecture  platform,  being  a  particularly 
entertaining  speaker  upon  the  various  subjects  to 
which  he  has  given  special  study  and  concerning 
which  he  is  thoroughly  informed.  Among  the  sub- 
jects upon  which  Mr.  Carmody  has  lectured  ex- 
tensively may  be  mentioned:  "Orators  and  Ora- 
tory", "Socialism",  "The  Church  and  State",  and 
"Irish  Eloquence  and  Song".  Mr.  Carmody  is  a 
member  of  the  New  York  State  Bar  Association 
and  of  the  Beta  Theta  Pi  and  the  Phi  Alpha 
Delta  Fraternities. 


136 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


{ iON.  NEWTON  WHITING  GILBERT 


One  of  ihe  latest  additions  to  the  City's  array 
of  brilliant  legal  minds  is  Newton  Whiting  Gil- 
bert, who  had,  previous  to  locating  in  New  York, 
made  an  enviable  reputation  m  Western  political 
and  legal  circles,  and  as  a  diplomat  in  the  nation's 
insular  service.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  born  May  24, 
1862,  in  Worthington.  Ohio,  the  son  of  Theodore 
R.  and  Ellen  L.  Gilbert.  He  was  educated  at 
the  Ohio  State  University  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1885.  He  began  practice  at  Angola,  In- 
diana, and  soon  attracted  attention  by  his  forensic 
skill  and  thorough  knowledge  of  the  law.      I  he 


people  of  the  district  decided  that  he  was  the  kind 
of  representative  they  wanted  in  the  State  Senate 
and  he  was  elected  to  that  body  in  1 896,  serv- 
ing for  four  years.  He  was  then  elected  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of  the  State  for  the  period  between 
1900  and  1904.  Mr.  Gilbert  was  elected  to  the 
58th  Congress  from  the  12th  Indiana  district, 
1903-5,  and  in  1906  was  appointed  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  1st  Instance,  Manila,  P.  I.  He  retired 
from  this  position  in  1908  and  was  the  same  year 
made  a  member  of  the  Philippine  commission.  He 
was  appointed  Secretary  of  Public  Instruction  of 
the  Philippine  Islands,  March  I,  1909,  and  Vice- 
Governor  in  February,   1910.     He  retired  from 


the  service  of  the  Government  in  1913  and  or- 
ganized the  law  firm  of  Gilbert.  Hausserman. 
Cohn  &  Fisher.  His  associates,  like  himself,  were 
among  the  first  lawyers  of  the  Islands  and  the  firm 
had  a  large  practice  and  handled  much  litigation 
involving  big  issues.  Mr.  Gilbert  retired  from 
the  firm  in  1916  and,  returning  to  the  United 
States,  was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
Convention,  and  was  numbered  among  those  who 
loured  the  country  in  behalf  of  presidential  can- 
didate Charles  E.  Hughes.  After  the  echoes  of 
that  memorable  campaign  had  finally  died  away, 
Mr.  Gilbert's  thoughts  turned  to  the  practice  of 
law  and,  having  decided  to  remain  permanently  in 
the  East,  he  organized  the  law  firm  of  Gilbert. 
Campbell  &  Myers,  with  offices  at  14  Wall 
Street. 

While  in  the  Philippines  Mr.  Gilbert  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  Filipinos  and  their 
scholastic  development.  In  recognition  of  his  serv- 
ices along  this  line  he  was  made  President  of  the 
Board  of  Regents,  University  of  the  Philippines, 
upon  its  organization  in  1 908  and  continued  as 
such  until  1913.  He  received  the  honorary  de- 
gree of  LL.  D.  from  Iowa  Wesleyan  University 
in  1913  and  the  following  year  the  University  of 
the  Philippines  conferred  the  same  degree  upon 
luiii.  Mr.  Gilbert  served  as  Captain  of  Company 
H.,  157th  Indiana  Volunteers,  during  the  Span- 
ish-American War.  He  has  been  an  extensive 
traveler  and  has  made  three  trips  around  the 
uorld. 

Mr.  Gilbert  has  already  made  a  reputa- 
tion in  the  metropolis  as  an  after-dinner  speaker, 
at  functions  where  some  of  the  most  brilliant  ora- 
tors ol  the  city  were  gathered.  He  is  a  Fellow 
of  the  Royal  Geographic  Society,  the  American 
Bar  Association,  the  Indiana  State  Bar  Associa- 
tion, the  Far  Eastern  Bar  Association,  of  Shanghai, 
China,  of  the  Masonic  and  Phi  Kappa  Psi  Fra- 
ternities, the  Army  and  Navy  Club,  Washington; 
India  House,  New  York;  Columbia  Club,  Indian- 
apolis, and  the  University,  Army  and  Navy, 
Manila  and  Columbia  Clubs,  of  Manila,  P.  I. 
Mr.  Gilbert  was  married  February  14,  1888,  to 
Delia  R.  Gale,  of  Angola,  Indiana,  who  died 
January  2,  1900.  Following  her  death  he  was 
wed  a  second  time  to  Martha  E.  Bergr,  of  New 
York  City,  on  August  8.  1 906. 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


137 


WILLIAM  F. 

William  F.  McCoombs,  who  directed  the  Na- 
tional Campaign  of  1912,  at  which  time  President 
Wilson  was  first  elected,  was  born  in  Hamburg, 
Arkansas,  December  26,  1875.  After  a  prelim- 
inary education  in  Tennessee  he  was  sent  to 
Princeton  University,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
1898  with  the  usual  B.  A.  degree.  He  then 
entered  the  Harvard  Law  School,  obtaining  his 
diploma  in  1901.  He  came  directly  to  New 
York  City  and  worked  as  a  law  clerk  in  order  to 
familiarize  himself  with  his  new  profession.  In 
1904  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Gilbert  E. 
Roe,  which  continued  until  1910.  Most  of  the 
business  of  this  firm  was  for  builders  and  con- 
struction corporations  and    Mr.    McCoombs  was 


Photo  Campbell  Studio 

drawn  into  the  battle  against  the  proposed  new 
building  code  in  which  he  helped  to  win  the  vic- 
tory. He  was  beginning  to  be  recognized  as  an 
able  lawyer  and  Mayor  Gaynor  appointed  him  a 
trustee  of  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York 
to  succeed  Edward  M.  Shepard  in  1911.  He 
had  become  a  member  of  the  National  Democratic 
Club  and  was  one  of  its  Committee  on  Tariff  Re- 
vision. Mr.  McCoombs  was  active  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Princeton  Club  and  while  he  was  a  student 
at  Princeton  he  was  well  acquainted  with  Wood- 


McCOOMBS 

row  Wilson,  who  had  in  the  meantime  been  elected 
Governor  of  New  Jersey.  When  an  available 
candidate  was  being  sought  by  the  Democrats  in 
1912,  Mr.  McCoombs  decided  that  Woodrow 
Wilson  was  the  most  logical  candidate.  He  knew 
all  the  Princeton  alumni,  most  of  them  personally, 
and  to  these  he  appealed  for  support  for  the  former 
President  of  the  University.  He  told  them  the 
way  to  nominate  a  'President  was  to  elect  delegates 
for  their  choice  and  the  result  was  that  Mr.  Mc- 
Coombs went  to  Baltimore  with  200  delegates  at 
his  back  and  became  one  of  the  most  active  of  the 
Wilson  managers.  He  had  compiled  a  list  of 
I  50,000  names  to  be  used  in  helping  Mr.  Wilson, 
who  named  him  his  Campaign  Manager,  and  he 
was  in  the  usual  order  elected  Chairman  of  the 
National  Democratic  Committee,  serving  until  the 
close  of  the  convention  of  1916.  After  President 
Wilson's  introduction  into  office  he  tendered  Mr. 
McCoombs  the  position  of  Ambassador  to  France, 
which  he  declined  for  business  reasons.  He  re- 
turned to  the  practice  of  law,  working  alone,  and 
became  counsel  for  many  large  concerns.  Mr.  Mc- 
Coombs is  a  recognized  authority  on  political  and 
economic  questions.  He  is  deeply  concerned  with 
the  industrial  and  commercial  needs  of  New  York 
State  and  is  intimately  acquainted  with  European 
affairs.  While  on  a  trip  abroad  in  191  3,  he  mar- 
ried in  London,  Dorothy,  daughter  of  Col.  and 
Mrs.  John  R.  Williams,  of  Washington,  t>.  C. 
In  1916  Mr.  McCoombs  entered  into  a  law  part- 
nership with  Francis  R.  Wellman,  Herbert  C. 
Smyth  and  Frederick  R.  Ryan.  Mr.  McCoombs 
was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  United  States 
Senator  from  New  York  in  1916.  Upon  his  re- 
tirement from  the  Chairmanship  of  the  Democratic 
National  Campaign  Committee,  President  Wilson 
wrote  him  as  follows:  "You  have  made  many 
and  great  sacrifices  already  for  the  party,  and  I 
know  that  I  am  speaking  the  sentiments  of  all  loyal 
Democrats  when  I  express  my  appreciation  of  the 
great  service  you  have  rendered.  I  am  sure  that 
the  greatest  regret  will  be  felt  at  your  retirement 
and  hosts  of  friends  will  join  me  in  the  hope  that 
your  new  business  venture  will  bring  you  abun- 
dant continued  success." 

Mr.  McCoombs  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Bar  Association,  New  York  State  Bar  Association, 
Association  of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
Southern  Society  of  New  York,  National  Demo- 
cratic, Princeton,  Manhattan,  Harvard,  Oakland 
Golf,  Sleepy  Hollow  Country,  and  Metropolitan 
clubs  of  New  York,  University  of  Washington 
and  the  Nassau  of  Princeton. 


138 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


W  ILLIAM  1^  HLKR 
William  P.  Burr,  who.  while  head  of  the  h  ran- 
chisc  Division  of  the  New  ork  Law  Department, 
attained  national  reputation  by  his  masterly  han- 
dling of  the  "80-cent  gas"  case,  was  educated  at 
De  La  Salle  Academy,  New  York  City,  and  St. 
James  College,  Baltimore,  Md.  His  legal  train- 
ing was  received  at  the  Columbia  College  Law 
School,  and  after  admission  to  the  bar  he  began 
practice  here  in  1879,  since  which  time  he  has  ap- 
peared in  many  notable  cases.  These  include  the 
"80-cent  gas"  case,  decided  in  favor  of  the  city 
by  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  January  4, 


1909.  which  resulted  m  $13,000,000  being  re- 
turned to  consumers  and  a  saving  to  them  of 
$7,000,000  annually  thereafter  and  a  saving  to 
the  city  of  $750,000  and  $150,000  annually 
thereafter.  The  decision  also  fixed  6  per  cent  as 
a  reasonable  return  on  the  value  of  property  actual- 
ly devoted  to  the  business  of  a  public  service  cor- 
poration. Mr.  Burr  also  conducted  the  "Death 
Avenue"  case  which  resulted  in  legislative  action 
providing  for  the  removal  of  the  N.  Y.  C.  &  H. 
R.  R.  R.  tracks  from  the  surface  of  the  streets  at 
the  company's  expense.  In  the  litigation  instituted 
by  Mr.  Burr  on  behalf  of  the  city  against  the 
Electrical  Subway  Company,  to  compel  the  com- 


|)<iny  to  account  under  its  contract  with  the  city 
made  in  1887  for  the  construction  of  the  elec- 
trical subways  (the  contract  providing  that  out  of 
the  profits  realized  from  the  operation  of  these 
subways  the  company  was  to  receive  lO'r  on  the 
actual  cost  of  construction  and  the  city  aH  profits 
over  that  amount),  the  objections  filed  and  vigor- 
ously pressed  by  Mr.  Burr  against  the  account 
rendered  by  the  company  covering  a  period  of 
over  20  years  were  unanimously  sustained  after  a 
protracted  trial  by  a  board  of  three  referees  ap- 
pointed by  the  Supreme  Court,  resulting  in  a  judg- 
ment reducing  the  cost  of  construction  claimed  by 
the  company  $3,380,899.85,  with  a  further  re- 
duction of  $5,728,800.96  in  the  deficit  claimed 
by  the  company  against  the  city,  and  an  affirma- 
tive award  against  the  company  in  favor  of  the 
city  for  $  1  85, 1  36.89.  In  1  906  Mr.  Burr  recom- 
mended to  the  Board  of  Estimate  a  plan  to  re- 
capture all  unused  perpetual  franchises  and  ad- 
vised the  board  it  had  the  power  to  rescind  such 
franchises.  I  his  power  was  tested  in  the  courts 
and  sustained  by  the  Court  of  Appeals  and  the 
U.  S.  Supreme  Court,  in  consequence  of  which 
the  city  has  recaptured  railroad,  telephone,  electric 
light  and  other  franchises  of  greal  value.  Mr. 
Burr  is  an  authority  on  franchises  and  has  a  large 
corporation  practice.  He  was  elected  a  Delegate 
to  the  Constitutional  Convenion  in  1  894  from  the 
I  I  th  Senatorial  District.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American,  State,  County  and  City  Bar  Associa- 
tions, Municipal  Art  Society,  National  Municipal 
Association,  Manhattan,  National  Democratic  and 
Bankers'  Clubs. 


HOLLAND  S.  DUELL 

Holland  S.  Duell,  of  the  legal  firm  of  Duell. 
Warfield  &  Duell,  specialists  in  patent  law,  was 
born  in  Syracuse,  New  York,  January  29,  188L 
He  graduated,  A.  B.,  from  Yale  in  1902  and 
LL.  B.  from  the  New  York  Law  School  in  1  904. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and 
began  practice  as  a  member  of  the  firm  with  which 
he  is  still  associated.  Mr.  Duell  was  a  member  of 
the  Assembly  from  Westchester  County  during 
the  sessions  of  1907  and  1909.  He  has  many 
corporate  interests,  being  a  Director  of  the  Carbon 
Steel  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  the  McClure  Publica- 
tions, Inc..  of  New  \'ork.  Superpedures  Inc..  and 
the  Triangle  Distribution  Corporation,  of  New 
York,  the  Noiseless  Typewriter  Co.,  Middletown. 
Conn.,  William  A.  Rogers,  Ltd.,  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, and  the  Klauder-Weldon  Dyeing  Co..  of 
Jardley,  Pa.  Mr.  Duell  is  a  member  of  the  West- 
chester Bar  and  the  Washington  Patent  Bar  As- 
sociations, the  Union  League.  Yale.  St.  Nicholas, 
New  York  Yacht.  American  Yacht  and  the 
Hudson  Country  Clubs.  His  offices  are  at  2 
Rector  Street. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


139 


HENRY  DODGE  ESTABROOK 
Henry  D.  Estabrook,  prominent  in  legal  circles 
and  for  several  years  solicitor  for  the  Western 
Union  Telegraph  Co.,  was  born  October  23. 
1854,  at  Alden.  N.  Y.,  the  son  of  Experience 
Caroline  Augusta  (Maxwell)  Estabrook.  The 
father  was  also  a  member  of  the  legal  profession 
and  was  at  one  time  Attorney  General  of  the 
State  of  Wisconsin  and  United  States  Attorney  for 
Territory  of  Nebraska,  to  which  Territory  the  fam- 
ily removed  in  1855.  Mr.  Estabrook  received  his 
primary  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Omaha, 
Nebraska,  and  afterwards  entered  the  Law  De- 
partment  of   Washmgton    University,    St.  Louis. 


Mo.  He  graduated  in  1875  and,  being  admitted 
to  the  bar  the  same  year,  began  practice  in  Omaha, 
where  he  remained  for  twenty-one  years.  In  1  896 
he  removed  to  Chicago  where  he  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Lowden,  Estabrook  & 
Davis  and  in  1902,  upon  his  appointment  as 
solicitor  for  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Co., 
he  took  up  his  residence  in  New  York  City.  After 
having  retained  this  connection  for  nine  years  he, 
in  1911,  resumed  private  practice  as  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Noble,  Estabrook  &  McHarg.  with 
offices  at  I  1 5  Broadway.  Mr.  Estabrook's  firm 
is  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the  city  and  has 
been  engaged  in  many  notable  cases  and  much 
important  corporation  work.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American   Bar  Association,   the  New  York 


State  Bar  Association,  the  New  York  County  Law- 
yers' Association,  Lawyers  Club,  Lotos  Club,  Union 
League  Club,  Metropolitan  Club,  Republican 
Club,  Ardsley  Club,  Sleepy  Hollow  Country  Club 
and  Pilgrim  Club.  He  is  also  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Canadian  Bar  Association  and  the 
Grant  Club  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  was 
formerly  a  regent  of  the  Nebraska  State  Uni- 
versity. Mr.  Estabrook  was  married  at  Omaha, 
Neb.,  October  23,  1886,  to  Clara  Campbell,  and 
he  has  one  daughter,  Mrs.  Blanche  Deuel  Roeb- 
ling,  of  Trenton,  N.  J.  He  resides  at  Tarry- 
town-on-Hudson,  N.  Y. 


MARTIN  VOGEL 
Martin  Vogel,  Assistant  Treasurer  of  the 
United  States  and  a  member  of  the  legal  firm  of 
Vogel  &  Vogel,  was  born  in  New  York  City  in 
1878.  He  was  educated  at  private  schools  and 
Columbia  College  and  received  his  legal  training 
at  the  Columbia  and  New  York  Law  schools. 
After  admission  to  the  bar  in  1901  he  immediately 
began  practice  and  specialized  in  banking  and  cor- 
poration law,  and  now  numbers  many  large 
industrial  and  financial  concerns  among  his  clients. 
He  was  formerly  a  Director  of  the  Harriman 
National  Bank  but  resigned  to  accept  his  present 
position,  to  which  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Wilson,  October  18,  1913.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Bar  Association  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
New  York  County  Bar  Association,  Hollywood 
Golf  Club,  of  which  he  is  President,  Bankers' 
Club,  Press  Club,  Siwanoy  Golf,  the  Criterion 
Club,  of  which  he  is  Vice-President  and  a  Gover- 
nor, and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  His  offices 
are  at  1  5  Broad  Street. 


GEORGE  TUTTLE  BROKAW 

George  T.  Brokaw,  of  the  legal  firm  of  Gulick, 
Brokaw  k  Springs,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
November  14,  1879.  He  was  educated  at  the 
Cutler  School,  N.  Y.,  Princeton  University,  from 
which  he  received  the  A.  B.  degree,  and  the  New 
^'ork  Law  School,  which  conferred  the  LL.  B. 
upon  him.  Mr.  Brokaw  has  travelled  extensively 
in  Japan,  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land.  He  is  ii 
Republican  in  politics  and  is  active  in  the  29th 
Assembly  District.  Mr.  Brokaw  is  a  member  of 
the  New  York  County  Lawyers'  Association,  Nev.' 
York  Historical  Association,  Huguenot  Society, 
St.  Nicholas  Society,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars, 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Holland  Society,  New 
York  Bible  Society  and  the  Princeton,  Riding, 
Piping  Rock,  Ardsley,  Rumson  and  Lakewood 
Country  Clubs.  His  offices  are  at  165  Broadway. 


140 


NEW    YORK- OLD    AND  NEW 


CHARLES  A.  FRUEAUFh 
Charles  A.  Frueauff,  senior  member  of  the  firm 
of  Frueauff,  Robinson  &  Sloan,  attorneys  at  law, 
is  a  native  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  having 
been  born  in  Columbia,  Lancaster  County,  April 


C  lub.  Besides  Mr.  h  rueaull  the  firm  is  composed 
of  Watson  B.  Robinson,  Robert  S.  Sloan,  Dewey 
C.  Bailey,  Jr.,  and  Robert  Burns.  The  offices  of 
the  firm  are  at  60  Wall  Street,  New  York  City. 


29th,  1878.  He  is  the  son  of  John  Frederick  and 
Annie  Day  (Taggart)  Frueauff.  His  father 
answered  the  first  call  for  volunteers  for  the  Civil 
War,  serving  three  months  as  Captain,  re-mlisted 
and  remained  in  the  service  until  the  end  of  the 
war  as  a  Major  in  the  153d  Pennsylvania  Regi- 
ment. M  .  f  lui  iuff  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  o:  1)  -  .  where  his  family  took  up  their 
residence  in  I  ^(^(j. 

On  graduation  from  the  Denver  High  School 
he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  from 
which  he  was  graduated  in  1 900,  receiving 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.  After  his  admission  to  the 
bar  he  practiced  law  in  Denver  until  1905,  when 
he  moved  to  New  York  City,  where  he  has 
achieved  marked  success  in  the  practice  of  law, 
especially  in  connection  with  all  legal  matters  re- 
lating to  public  utilities  and  oil  producing  and  re- 
fining corporations.  He  is  one  of  the  younger 
lawyers  in  the  city  who  is  recognized  as  an 
authority  upon  these  matters,  his  firm  being  attor- 
neys for  a  large  number  of  corporations  located 
throughout  the  United  States  and  in  Canada.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Association  of  the  Bar  of  the 
City  of  New  York,  the  Lawyers'  Club,  the  New 
York  Athletic  Club  and  the  Garden  City  Country 


THOMAS  E.  RUSH 
Thomas  E.  Rush,  Surveyor  of  the  Port  of  New 
York  and  senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Rush 
&  Hare.  22  William  Street,  was  born  in  New 
York  City,  January  16,  1867.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools;  was  a  cadet  at  West  Point; 
received  the  A.  B.  degree  from  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York  in  1886,  the  LL.  B.  from 
New  York  University  in  1890  and  the  A.  M. 
from  the  College  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  in  1 900. 
He  was  for  a  time  in  the  Law  Department  of  the 
city,  attorney  for  the  Comptroller  of  the  State, 
is  now  Surveyor  of  the  Port  of  New  York 
and  Democratic  leader  of  the  29th  Assembly  Dis- 
trict. He  is  a  member  of  Tammany  Hall,  the  As- 
sociation of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of  New  York, 
New  York  State  Bar  Association,  American 
Bar  Association,  New  York  County  Law- 
yers' Association,  Civil  Service  Reform  Associa- 


tion, hriendly  Sons  ol  St.  Patrick,  Legal  Aid 
Society,  Intercollegiate  Civic  League  and  the 
University,  Manhattan,  City,  Midday,  Economic, 
New  York  Athletic  and  National  Democratic 
clubs. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


14) 


HON.  JEFFERSON  MONROE  LEVY 
Hon.  Jefferson  M.  Levy,  lawyer  and  ex- 
Congressman,  was  born  in  New  York  City,  the 
son  of  Capt.  Jonas  P.  and  Fanny  (Mitchell) 
Levy,  and  nephew  of  Commodore  Uriah  P.  Levy, 
U.  S.  N.,  from  whom  he  inherited  "Monticello," 
the  home  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  which  has  been 
owned  by  the  Levy  family  since  the  death  of  the 
Author  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  Mr. 
Levy  was  educated  in  this  city  and  studied  law  in 
the  office  of  the  late  Clarkson  N.  Potter,  beginning 
practice  immediately  after  being  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Mr.  Levy  was  author-compiler  of  the  Election 
Laws  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  led  the 
agitation  that  caused  the  reform  of  surrogates' 
practices  in  the  county.  He  was  the  organizer 
of  the  Democratic  Club  of  New  York  City  and 
represented  the  1 3th  District  of  New  York, 
1899  until  1901,  and  was  leader  of  the  Gold 
Democrats  during  that  session.     He  aided  in  de- 


feating the  Nicaraugan  Canal  proposition  by  a 
speech  in  the  House  which  was  used  in  opposi- 
tion to  the  project  and  in  favor  of  the  Panama 
Canal.  He  was  again  elected  to  Congress  in 
1910,  and  re-elected  for  the  two  succeeding  terms. 
He  displayed  the  same  activity  up  to  the  time 
of  his  retirement.  He  was  author  of  the  Levy 
amendment  to  the  Loan  Shark  Bill,  which  re- 
stricted the  rate  of  interest  on  salary  advances  to 
12  per  cent  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  He  in- 
troduced the  Reserve  Bank  Bill  in  the  62nd 
Congress  and  the  63rd  Congress  which  after- 
wards became  a  law  and  is  the  most  important 
financial  constructive  legislation  that  has  ever  been 
passed.  This  rate  of  interest  has  smce  been  adopted 
by  every  State  in  the  Union.  In  the  Democratic 
caucus  and  on  the  floor  of  the  House  he  strongly 
advocated  a  larger  Navy  and  advocated  the  forti- 
fying of  the  part  of  New  York  and  the  construc- 
tion of  a  fort  at  Rockaway.  His  offices  are  at 
128  Broadway. 


ELIOT  NORTON 
Eliot  Norton,  lawyer,  was  born  in  Cambridge, 
Mass.,  July   I,   1863,  the  son  of  Charles  Ehot 
Norton,   A.   M.,   LL.   D.,   and   Susan  Ridley 
(Sedgwick)  Norton.    He  was  educated  by  private 


tutors  and  at  Harvard  University  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1885,  with  the  A.  B.  degree.  His 
legal  studies  were  at  Harvard  University  Law 
School  and  obtained  the  degrees  of  A.  M.  and 
LL.  B  in  1 888.  On  taking  his  degree  he  came 
to  New  York,  where  he  has  practiced  ever  since. 
His  career  is  so  well  known  that  it  does  not  re- 
quire statement  here.  The  American  branch  of 
Mr.  Norton's  family  was  established  by  Rev. 
John  Norton,  who  came  from  England  to  Massa- 
chusetts and  died  in  Boston  in  1 663.  Charles 
Eliot  Norton,  father  of  Eliot  Norton,  was  Profes- 
sor of  the  History  of  Fine  Arts  at  Harvard  Uni- 
versity for  twenty-five  years.  He  was  a  prolific 
writer  and  edited  the  papers  published  by  the 
Loyal  Publication  Society  during  the  Civil  War 
and  the  correspondence  of  John  Ruskin  and  of 
James  Russell  Lowell,  who  were  his  personal 
friends.  The  name  Eliot  in  connection  with  the 
Norton  family  was  derived  from  Samuel  Atkin 
Eliot,  who  was  Mayor  of  Boston  1837-39,  an 
ex-Congressman,  Treasurer  of  Harvard  College 
and  the  author  of  several  books.  His  son  Charles 
William  Eliot,  Harvard  1853.  rose  from  a  tutor- 
ship to  th,e  Presidency  of  that  institution.  He  was 
one  of  the  foremost  educators  of  his  time  and  his 
efforts  to  develop  his  alma  mater  will  live  long  in 
history.     Theodore  SedgM'ick,  Mr.  Norton's  ma- 


NEIV    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


ternal  grandlathei,  was  a  leader  ol  the  New  ^  oik 
bar  and  the  author  ol  "Sedgsvick  on  Damages.  " 
Mr.  Norton  is  a  member  of  the  University. 
Groliers  and  Lawyers'  clubs  and  the  Bar  Asso- 
ciation of  the  City  of  New  York.  Some  years 
ago  the  Kmg  of  Italy  created  him  a  Chevalier  of 
the  Order  of  Sts.  Mauncio  and  Lazare.  He  was 
married  in  September,  1891,  to  Margaret  Palmer 
Meyer,  of  Oyster  Bay,  L.  I.,  and  they  have  one 
son    Charles  Eliot  Norton. 

FR.ANK  A^  ER  DILLINGHAM 
Mr.  Dillingham  \sas  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 
lege in  1891  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  and  then 
entered  the  Columbia  Law  School,  obtaining  the 
LL.  B.  degree  in  1 894.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  the  same  year  and  immediately  began  ac- 
tive practice.  In  1895  he  formed  a  partncship 
with  Ralph  S.  Rounds  and  in  1 904  a  consolida- 
tion was  made  with  the  firm  of  Hatch  &  Debe- 
voise,  under  the  name  of  Rounds,  Hatch,  Dilling- 
ham &  Debevoise,  with  offices  at  62  Cedar  Street, 
New  York  City,  and  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico.  In 
addition  to  Mr.  Dillingham  and  Mr.  Rounds  th" 
firm  is  composed  of  Eugene  H.  Hatch,  of  Plain 
field,  N.  J.,  Thomas  M.  Debevoise,  of  Summit, 
N.  J.,  and  Robert  G.  Mead,  Francis  E.  Neagle, 
Edward  S.  Paine,  Charles  S.  Bulkley,  Eugene 
Conghton  and  Stephen  Barker  of  New  York. 
Mr.  Dillingham  is  President  of  the  Guanica  Cent- 
rale,  the  Central  Fortuna  and  the  Central  Ro- 
mana,  three  companies  controlled  by  a  parent  cor- 
poration, the  South  Porto  Rico  Sugar  Co.,  of 
which  Mr.  Dillingham  is  a  Director  and  Stock- 
holder. His  other  interests  include  the  American 
Colonial  Bank  of  Porto  Rico,  of  which  he  is  a 
Director;  Consolidated  Arizona  Smelting  Co., 
Director;  and  Lake  Placid  Improvement  Co., 
Director.  Mr.  Dillingham  is  a  member  of  the 
Yale  Club,  City  Midday  Club  and  Down  Town 
Association  of  New  York  City;  the  Canoe  Brook 
Country  Club  and  Shore  Hills  Casino  of  Millburn, 
N.  J.;  the  Union  and  Country  Clubs  of  San  Juan. 
Porto  Rico,  and  the  Delta  Kappa  Epsilon,  Phi 
Beta  Kappa  and  iPhi  Delta  Phi  Fraternities.  He 
was  married  January  23,  1896,  to  Louise  Greg- 
ory Bulkley,  daughter  of  Charles  Emerson  and 
Harriet  Stone  Bulkley,  and  has  six  children — 
Louise  Bulkley,  Winthrop  Bulkley,  Dorothy  Ayer, 
Helena  Ayer,  Hope  and  Sherburne  Dillingham. 
They  reside  at  Beechcroft  Farm,  on  Old  Shore 
Hills  Road,  Millburn  Township,  New  Jersey. 


I- RANK  MOSS 
Lawyer:  born  at  Cold  Spring.  New  York,  in 
1860.  Came  to  New  "^'ork  City  when  six  year? 
old.  Adniittsd  to  the  bai  in  1881.  Was  Associatt 
Counsel  to  Lexow  Committee  and  Senior  Counsel 
to  Mazet  Committee  and  Thompson  Committee, 
all  ol  which  conducted  well-known  legislative  in- 
vestigations of  public  matters.  Was  President  of 
the    Police   Board   and   Health   Commissioner  in 


1897,  and  was  Senior  Assistant  District  Attorney 
in  charge  of  many  famous  cases  from  1910  to 
1915. 

President  of  the  New  York  Ophthalmic  Hos- 
pital and  Professor  of  Medical  Jurisprudence  in 
New  York  Medical  College  and  Hospital  for 
Women.  Member  of  the  local,  state  and  Ameri- 
can Bar  Associations,  of  the  New  York  Republi- 
can Club  and  the  Union  League  Club,  and  other 
clubs  and  associations. 

Senior  member  of  the  law  firm  of  Moss, 
Marcus  &  Wels,  Woolworth  Building. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


143 


DENNIS  O'LEARY 
Dennis  O'Leary,  District  Attorney  of  Queens 
County,  has  for  many  years  been  prominently 
identified  with  Democratic  City.  County  and  Na- 
tional affairs.  He  was  born  January  22,  1863, 
at  Manhasset,  Long  Island,  and  was  educated  in 


the  public  schools  of  Queens  County  and  at  the 
University  of  the  City  of  New  York,  graduating 
from  the  latter  institution  in  May,  1 890,  with 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.  After  being  admitted  to 
the  bar  he  began  practice  at  once  and  in  1 898 
was  elected  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  North  Hemp- 
stead, his  first  public  office.  His  success  at  the 
bar  brought  him  into  prominence  and  in  1901  he 
was  appointed  Assistant  District  Attorney  of 
Queens  County,  a  position  he  filled  so  acceptably 
that  he  was  in  1  904  selected  as  Assistant  Corpo- 
ration Counsel  of  New  York  for  Queens  Borough. 
He  retired  from  this  office  in  1 906  and  devoted 
his  time  to  private  practice.  In  1911  he  was 
made  Commissioner  of  Public  Works  for  Queens 
County  and  in  1912  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
63rd  Congress  from  the  Second  New  York  Dis- 
trict. He  took  his  seat  in  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives on  March  4,  1913.  and  during  his 
term  figured  largely  in  important  national  events, 
being  particularly  interested  in  tariff  reform  and 
the  income  tax.  While  a  member  of  Congress 
he  was  elected  District  Attorney  for  Queens 
County  and  assumed  his  new  duties  January  1 . 
1915.       Mr.  O'Leary  possesses  an  energy  and 


personality  that  makes  him  a  formidable  candidate 
for  any  office.  He  is  a  forceful  speaker  and  an 
aggressive  campaign  worker  not  to  be  despised  by 
his  opponent,  as  his  several  elections  will  attest. 
He  IS  highly  respected  in  Queens  County  and  has 
a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  admirers  among  the 
many  civic  bodies  of  which  he  is  a  member  and 
the  political  organizations  with  which  he  is  affil- 
iated. He  is  a  member  of  the  Elks.  Catholic 
Club,  Royal  Arcanum,  Catholic  Benevolent  Le- 
gion, Knights  of  Columbus  and  the  Holy  Name 
Society.  Mr.  O'Leary  was  married  April  1  7. 
1895,  to  Miss  Ellen  G.  Quinn,  of  Great  Neck, 
Long  Island,  and  they  have  two  daughters,  Eleanor 
and  Emily  O'Leary.  His  office  is  in  the  County 
Building,  Lono  Island  City. 


WILLIAM  WILSON  MILLER 
William  W.  Miller,  member  of  the  law  firm 
of  Hornblower,  Miller,  Garrison  &  Potter,  was 
born  in  Washmgton,  D.  C,  May  14,  1870.  After 
preliminary  education  he  studied  law  at  the  Na- 
tional University,  Washington,  D.  C.  He  grad- 
uated in    1891    with  the  degree  of  LL.   B.  and 


LL.  M.  and  afterwards  received  an  LL.  D.  de- 
gree from  the  same  institution.  Princeton  Univer- 
sity honored  him  with  the  M.  A.  degree  in  1  900. 
Mr.  Miller  has  been  in  active  practice  since  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar  in  1 89 1  and  has  been  identi- 
fied with  many  important  cases  as  counsel  for 
prominent  business  houses  and  large  corporations. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  New  York  City  Bar  As- 
sociation, the  Society  of  Medical  Jurisprudence, 
the  Racquet  and  Tennis  Club,  the  Riding  Club. 
Metropolitan  Club,  the  Midday  Club,  the  Rock- 
away  Hunt  Club  and  the  Recess  Club.  His  offices 
are  at  24  Broad  Street. 


144 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


HON.  JOHN  COrr  SPOONER 
Hon.  John  C.  Spooner  was  horn  at  Law- 
renceburg,  Indiana,  January  6,  1844,  the  son  of 
Judge  Phihp  L.  and  Lydia  (Coit)  Spooner. 
While  a  student  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin, 
in  I860,  Mr.  Spooner  responded  to  President 
Lincoln's  call  for  volunteers,  and  recruited  a  com- 


pany from  the  students,  Co.  B.  40th  Wisconsin 
Infantry.  He  was  afterwards  Captain  of  Co.  A 
50th  Wisconsm,  for  three  years  and  upon  being 
mustered  out  returned  to  the  university  and  grad- 
uated in  1864  with  the  A.  B.  degree.  He 
served  as  Private  and  Military  Secretary  to  Gov- 
ernor Lucius  Fairchild  in  1886-7.  and  having 
previously  taken  up  the  study  of  law,  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  in  1867.  He  was  Assistant 
Attorney  General  and  also  engaged  in  general 
practice  at  Madison  from  1867  to  1870  and  then 
removed  to  Hudson,  where  he  acquired  a  large 
practice.  While  a  resident  of  Hudson,  Mr. 
Spooner  was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  in 
1872  and  he  became  a  member  of  the  United 
States  Senate  in  1883,  where  he  ranked  as  an 
orator  and  lawyer  of  brilliant  attainments.  Up- 
on the  completion  of  his  term  he  removed  from 
Hudson  to  Madison,  and  in  I  892  was  the  guber- 
natorial candidate  but  was  defeated  by  Governor 
Peck.  He  was  again  sent  to  the  Senate  in  1897, 
and  resigned  May  1,  1907,  to  take  up  the  prac- 


tice of  his  profesision  in  New  ^'ork  City.  Mr. 
Spooner  was  tendered  the  portfolio  of  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  by  President  McKinley,  but  de- 
clined the  honor.  He  also  declined  to  accept 
membership  on  the  British  American  Joint  High 
Commission  in  1898  and  the  Attorney  General- 
ship of  the  United  States  in  1901.  Mr.  Spooner 
was  married  September  10,  1868,  to  Annie  E. 
Main,  of  Madison,  Wisconsin.  His  offices  are 
at  14  Wall  Street. 


FREDERICK  HOBBES  ALLEN 
Frederick  H.  Allen,  lawyer,  who  was  for- 
merly connected  with  the  United  States  Consular 
Service,  was  born  in  Honolulu,  the  son  of  Hon. 
Elisha  Hunt  and  Mary  Harrod  (Hobbes)  Allen. 
At  the  time  of  Mr.  Allen's  birth  his  father  was 
Chief  Justice  of  the  Pacific  Kingdom  and  Minister 


Plenipotentiary  to  the  United  States.  The  family 
is  of  English  origin,  the  American  branch  having 
been  established  as  early  as  1661  by  Edward 
Allen,  one  of  Oliver  Cromwell's  lieutenants  who 
left  England  upon  the  accession  of  Charles  II 
and  settled  in  Northfield,  Massachusetts,  where 
the  original  homestead  is  still  held  by  descendants 
of  the  first  settler.  After  a  thorough  preparatory 
education,  Mr.  Allen  entered  Harvard  University 
and  graduated  from  that  noted  institute  of  learn- 
ing, with  the  A.  B.  degree,  in  1880.  He  after- 
wards took  the  law  course  at  the  same  institution 
and  received  the  LL.  B.  degree  in  1 883,  His 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


145 


legal  training  was  supplennented  by  one  year's 
study  in  the  office  of  Holmes  &  Adams,  and  he 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1  884.  He  became 
managing  clerk  in  the  office  of  Miller,  Peckham 
&  Dixon  and  later  practiced  alone.  In  1  894  he 
formed  the  legal  firm  of  Adams  &  Allen,  and 
upon  the  death  of  Mr.  Adams  in  1900,  he  organ- 
ized the  firm  of  Allen  &  Cammann,  of  which  he 
is  still  a  member.  Mr.  Allen  was  Secretary  of 
the  Hawaiian  Legation  in  1 882  and  was  Charge 
d'Affaires  of  same  in  1  883,  but  resigned  to  devote 
his  entire  time  to  legal  work.  He  has  been  Cor- 
poration Counsel  and  President  of  the  village  of 
Pelham  Manor,  where  he  resides,  and  Chairman 
of  the  Democratic  County  Committee  of  West- 
chester County.  He  has  always  taken  an  active 
part  in  politics  and  has  been  a  delegate  to  various 
state  conventions  and  in  1908  was  a  delegate  to 
the  Democratic  National  Convention,  held  in 
Denver,  Colorado.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Permanent  Am.erican  Commission  that  went 
abroad  to  study  the  agriculture,  finances,  produc- 
tion, distribution  and  rural  life  of  the  different 
countries.  Mr.  Allen  was  married  in  1 892  to 
Adele  Livingston  Stevens  and  the  union  brought 
six  children:  Frederic  Stevens,  Mary  Dorothy 
Adele,  Barbara  Frances  Gallatin,  Joan  Living- 
ston, Julian  Broome  Livingston,  and  Priscilia 
Sampson  Alden  Allen.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Society  of  Colonial  Wars 
and  the  Knickerbocker,  Union,  Manhattan  and 
City  Clubs.  His  offices  are  at  63  Wall  Street, 
and  his  home,  "Bolton  Priory,"  is  located  at  Pel- 
ham  Manor. 


WILLIAM  HUSSEY  (PAGE 
William  H.  Page,  lawyer,  who  has  been  prom- 
inent in  many  important  matters  in  this  country 
and  abroad,  was  born  in  Paris,  France,  January  2, 
1  861 ,  the  son  of  William  Hussey  and  Nancy  Hills 
(Jenkins)  Page.  He  was  educated  at  the  Boston 
Latin  School,  class  of  '79,  Harvard  University, 


JOHN  BARRY  STANCHFIELD 
John  B.  Stanchfield,  who  ranks  as  one  of 
the  best  trained  jurists  of  the  country,  and  who 
has  been  honored  with  many  positions  of  trust 
by  the  Democratic  party,  was  born  in  Elmira, 
N.  Y.,  March  30,  1855.  His  classical  educat  on 
was  at  Amherst  College  and  his  legal  training  was 
received  at  the  Harvard  Law  School  and  com- 
pleted in  the  office  of  Hon.  David  B.  Hill.  He 
afterwards  became  Mr.  Hill's  partner  in  the  firm 
of  Hill  &  Stanchlield  in  1879,  was  District  At- 
torney of  Chemung  County  from  1  880  until  1  886, 
and  was  afterwards  Mayor  of  Elmira  and  a 
member  of  the  Assembly.  He  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Governor  of  New  York  in 
1900  and  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
U.  S.  Senator  in  1901.  Mr.  Stanchfield  is  a  mem- 
ber of  many  clubs  and  the  State  and  City  bar 
associations.  He  is  now  head  of  the  law  firm  of 
Stanchfield  &  Levy,  with  offices  at  1 20  Broad- 
way. 


A.  B.,  '83,  Columbia  Law  School,  LL.  B.,  '86, 
and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  the  same  year  and 
took  up  the  practice  of  his  profession  in  New  York 
City.  In  I  894  he  was  appointed  by  Secretary  of 
War  Lamont  as  one  of  an  efficiency  committee  of 
two  members  to  organize  the  business  methods  of 
the  War  Department.  Their  recommendations 
were  accepted  and  made  the  basis  of  an  order 
which  still  continues  in  force.  Since  that  time  he 
has  figured  conspicuously  in  many  important 
litigations.  After  the  close  of  the  Spanish- 
American  War  his  then  firm  of  Page  &  Conant 
maintained  a  branch  office  in  Havana  for  several 
years.  For  three  years,  1913-15  inclusive,  he 
was  President  of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club. 
Mr.  iPage  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of 
the  City  of  New  York,  Harvard  Club,  Auto- 
mobile Club  of  America,  New  York  Athletic 
Club,  National  Democratic  Club,  Bankers'  Club, 
Aero  Club  of  America  and  the  Somerset  Hills 
Country  Club.  He  was  married  January  2, 
1888,  to  Blanche  Page,  and  they  have  six  chil- 
dren—Richard Marshal!,  Harvard,  1910;  William 


146 


h'FAV    YORK    OLD    AND  NF.W 


Kingman.  Harvard,  I91U;  Douglas  Jenkins,  West 
Point,  1916;  Donald  Ormsby,  who  entered 
Princeton,  1917,  and  left  to  enter  the  American 
Ambulance  Corps  in  France;  Blanche  and  John 
Harvard  Page.  His  offices  are  at  66  Liberty 
Street  and  he  resides  at  47  West  74th  Street, 
with  a  country  home  at  Far  Hills,  New  Jersey. 


EDWARD  LAUTERBACH 

1  he  career  of  Edward  Lauterbach,  one  of  the 
foremost  corporation  lawyers  of  the  city,  has  been 
marked  by  distinguished  service  in  the  reorganiza- 
tion and  building  up  of  various  railroad  systems 
throughout  the  country,  by  devotion  to  the  pslit- 
ical  party  of  which  he  is  a  member  and  by  hi; 


interest  in  philanthropic  work.  He  was  born  in 
this  city  August  12,  1844.  and  was  awarded  first 
prize  in  declamation  by  the  College  of  the  City 
of  New  York  upon  his  graduation  in  1  »64.  He 
was  also  the  recipient  of  the  A.  B.,  A.  M.,  and 
LL.  B.  degrees  from  his  alma  mater.  Devoting 
himself  to  corporation  work  after  admission  to  the 
bar,  he  soon  plunged  into  railroad  reorganization, 
the  unification  of  the  New  York  Rapid  Transii 
Systems  being  his  most  notable  achievement.  He 
was  also  instrumental  in  bringing  about  the  consoli- 
dation of  the  Union  elevated  railroads  and  in 
ccmpelling  the  electric  companies  to  place  thei 
wireis  underground,  while  his  activity  as  counse! 


lor  the  1  hud  Avenue  f-lailroad  and  other  surlace 
lines  added  greatly  to  his  fame.  Mr.  Lauterbach 
was  for  seven  years  a  member  of  the  Board  ol 
Regents  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York  and  participated  in  all  measures  for  the  im- 
provement of  educational  facilities.  He  was  for 
a  long  time  C'hairman  of  the  Republican  County 
Committee  and  a  Delegate  to  all  National  and 
State  Republican  conventions  for  years.  He  is 
an  ex-Prcsident  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  of  the 
Maurice  Grau  Grand  Opera  Co.  Mr.  Lauter- 
bach is  interested  in  many  charitable  organizations, 
is  a  Director  of  the  Hebrew  Orphan  Asylum, 
which  cares  for  two  thousand  children,  and  was 
President  of  the  National  Liberal  Immigration 
League.  He  is  the  only  surviving  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Hoadly.  Lauterbach  &  Johnson.  His 
offices  are  at  22  William  Street. 


DELANCEY  NICOLL 
Delancey  Nicoll,  head  of  the  law  firm  of  Nicoll. 
Anable  &  Lindsay,  was  during  his  connection  with 
the  District  Attorney's  office  one  of  the  most  per- 
sistent prosecutors  of  the  "man  higher  up"  who 
figured  in  crime,  criminal  negligence  or  graft.  He 
was  born  at  Shelter  Island,  N.  Y.,  June  24, 
1854.  and  was  prepared  for  college  at  St.  Paul's 
School.  Concord,  N.  H.  After  graduating  from 
Princeton  University  in  1874.  he  entered  Columbia 
Law  School  from  which  he  obtained  the  LL.  B. 
degree.  His  legal  training  was  auE;mented  by 
reading  in  the  office  of  Clarkson  N.  Potter,  after 
which  he  entered  the  office  of  Julian  T.  Davis, 
where  he  remained  for  one  year  previous  to  his 
admission  to  the  bar.  In  1 882  he  became  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Easton,  Lewis  &  Nicoll 
and  was  soon  associated  with  many  important 
cases.  While  Assistant  District  Attorney  he  made 
a  most  enviable  reputation.  It  was  during  this 
period  that  he  prosecuted  the  "boodle"  alderman, 
secured  the  convictions  of  Gen.  Shaler  for  irreg- 
ularities in  the  purchase  of  armory  sites,  and  Bud- 
densick.  the  contractor  who  was  charged  with 
causing  the  death  of  several  persons  through  neg- 
lect of  the  building  laws.  He  also  sent  Ferdinand 
Ward,  who  impoverished  Gen.  Grant,  to  jail. 
Mr.  Nicoll's  success  and  strict  integrity  made  him 
the  idol  of  the  people  and  he  was  elected  District 
Attorney  in  I  896.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union. 
Metropolitan.  Racquet.  University.  Manhattan. 
Rockaway  Hunt.  Tuxedo.  Lawyers,  Ardsley, 
Democratic  and  Country  Clubs  and  the  St. 
Nicholas  Society. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


147 


GEORGE  GORDON  BATTLE 
George  Gordon  Battle,  one  of  the  successful 
lawyers  practicing  at  the  New  York  bar,  was  born 
in  Edgecomb  County,  N.  C.,  in  1868.  He  was 
educated  at  Hanover  Academy,  Virginia,  the 
University  of  North  Carolina  and  the  University 
of  Virginia  at  Charlottesville.     Mr.    Battle  left 


Charlottesville  in  1 889  and  for  si.x  months  read 
law  in  the  office  of  his  brother.  Judge  Jacob 
Battle,  at  Rocky  Mount.  He  then  entered 
Columbia  University,  where  he  finished  his  legal 
studies.  In  1 892  he  was  appointed  a  Deputy 
Assistant  District  Attorney  by  De  Lancey  NicoU, 
and  ultimately  became  an  Assistant  District  At- 
torney, retaining  the  position  until  March,  1897, 
when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Hon.  Bartow 
S.  Weeks,  now  a  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
the  firm  becoming  Weeks,  Battle  &  Marshall  upon 
the  admission  of  H.  Snowden  Marshall,  and 
Battle  &  Marshall  upon  Mr.  Weeks'  withdrawal 
and  eventually  assumed  its  present  tide  of  O'Gor- 
man.  Battle  &  Vandiver,  with  offices  at  37 
Wall  Street.  While  Assistant  District  Attorney 
of  New  York  County,  Mr.  Battle  had  charge  of 
the  Grand  Jury  for  three  years  and  no  indictment 
drawn  by  him  ever  had  a  sustained  demurrer  against 
it  on  account  of  technical  defect.  Mr.  Battle  has 
rigidly  adhered  to  a  determination  not  to  be  asso- 
ciated with  any  corporation,  except  as  counsellor. 
He  holds  membership  in  Metropolitan.  Calumet, 
Manhattan.  St.   Nicholas  and  West  Side  Dem- 


ocratic Clubs,  the  bar  associations  of  the  city, 
state  and  nation  and  the  Southern  Society,  the 
North  Carolina  Society  and  the  Virginians.  Mr. 
Battle  was  married  in  Richmond,  Va.,  April  12, 
1898,  to  Martha  Bagby. 


WILLIAM  KARLIN 
William  Karlin,  representing  the  Fourth  As- 
sembly District  of  New  York  County  in  the  New- 
York  State  Legislature,  having  been  elected  to  this 
office  on  the  6th  day  of  November,  1917,  lawyer 
and  labor  advocate,  was  born  in  Russia.  March 
29,  1882.  He  was  educated  in  New  York  City 
and,  after  becoming  a  pharmacist,  took  up  the 
study  of  law  at  the  New  York  University  Law 
School.  He  continued  in  the  drug  business  until 
1911,  when  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  His 
practice  is  general  and  he  has  acted  in  an  advisory 


capacity  for  many  labor  organizations  as  well  as 
addressing  many  large  gatherings  of  workingmen 
and  women  and  lecturing  in  various  states  on 
political  and  industrial  subjects.  He  was  the  So- 
cialist candidate  for  Assembly  in  the  old  Eighth 
Assembly  District  on  several  occasions,  and  each 
time  he  ran  the  vote  foi  him  increased.  Part  of 
his  old  district  was  amalgamated  with  the  Fourth 
Assembly  District  in  1917,  and  Karlin  was  named 
by  the  Socialist  Party  for  Assembly  in  the  Fourth 
District.  This  time  he  carried  the  election  ovei 
both  the  Democratic  and  Republican  candidates 
by  a  large  majority.  In  1913  he  was  Secretary 
of  the  Commission  in  the  Men's  Clothing  Industry, 
when  the  strike,  involving  1 00.000  workers,  was 
settled.  He  is  now  legal  adviser  for  over  a  score 
of  labor  organizations.  His  offices  are  at  1 32 
Nassau  Street,  New  York  City. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


FRANCIS  D.  GALLATIN 
Francis  D.  Gallatin,  lawyer,  who  has  figured 
prominently  in  diplomatic  circles  and  the  local 
political  field,  comes  of  old  American  stock  of 
Swiss  origin,  the  founder  of  the  family  in  this 
couiiti\  li.  iiiL'  Albert  Gallatin,  who  came  to  the 
United  Mil's  111  1780  and  served  as  Secretary  of 


the  I  reasury  under  Presidents  Madison  and  Jef- 
ferson, afterward  taking  an  active  part  in  the  up- 
building of  the  government.  Mr.  Gallatin  was 
born  in  this  city,  September  2,  1870,  and  received 
his  education  at  Columbia  University.  He  after- 
ward entered  the  diplomatic  service  as  an  attache 
of  the  American  Legation  at  the  Turkish  capital 
and,  while  the  future  looked  bright  along  this  line, 
he  relinquished  his  position  to  take  up  the  practice 
of  his  profession  here  in  1 908.  As  a  member 
of  the  New  York  bar  he  has  been  prominent  in 
some  very  important  litigation,  and  this,  coupled 
with  his  three  years'  service  as  Secretary  to  Jus- 
tice Platzek,  of  the  Supreme  Court,  brought  him 
into  the  public  eye  and  gave  him  an  experience 
that  has  been  of  great  use  to  him  in  private  prac- 
tice. He  is  a  close  student  of  the  law,  possesses 
a  strong  legal  mind  and  as  a  lawyer  and  citizen 
takes  a  deep  interest  in  public  affairs.  He  has 
always  been  arrayed  with  the  workers  for  civic 
betterment  and  the  cause  of  good  government  and 
is  closely  identified  with  the  various  movements 


along  these  lines.  Mr.  Gallatin  is  a  member  of 
various  clubs,  societies  and  bar  associations  and  is 
well  and  favorably  known  to  his  fellow  members 
of  the  legal  fraternity.  His  offices  are  at  1 60 
Broadway. 


ABRAM  I.  ELKUS 
Abram  I.  Elkus,  prominent  as  a  lawyer  and 
well  known  for  his  charitable  and  educational 
work,  was  born  in  New  York  City.  August  6, 
1867.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York  and  Colum- 
bia University.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1888  and  after  a  few  years  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  James.  Schell  &  Elkus,  becoming 
senior  member  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  James  and 
Mr.  Schell.  He  is  now  head  of  that  firm's  suc- 
cessor, Elkus,  Gleason  &  Proskauer.  During  his 
entire  career  Mr.  Elkus  has  been  active  in  all 
departments  of  the  law.  He  was  selected  to  pros- 
ecute fraudulent  bankrupts  and  established  the 
precedent  that  perjury  in  bankruptcy  is  punishable 


as  contempt.  He  was  engaged  by  the  Merchants 
Association  to  promote  legislation  fair  to  commer- 
cial interests  and  has  also  acted  as  counsel  for  the 
Merchants'  Protective  Association  of  New  York 
City.  He  was  chosen  a  State  Regent  in  1911 
and  the  same  year  was  named  as  counsel  for  the 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


149 


New  York  State  Factory  Investigating  Commission. 
His  work  for  this  body  was  most  valuable,  covering 
more  than  thirty  bills  that  are  now  statutes.  He  was 
Chairman  of  the  Court  House  Condemnation  Com- 
mission and  a  member  of  the  Heights  of  Build- 
ings Commission  of  New  York  City.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  a  committee  which  prepared  the 
proposed  revision  of  the  Federal  Equity  Rules  and 
during  the  Wilson  campaign  was  Chairman  of 
the  Tariff  Exhibits  Committee.  In  July,  1916, 
President  Wilson  appointed  him  Ambassador  to 
Turkey  and  although  he  served  but  one  year  he 
established  a  record  for  diligence,  diplomacy  and 
charitable  endeavor  for  American  subjects  and 
others  in  the  Ottoman  Empire.  Mr.  Elkus  is  a 
member  of  the  American,  City,  and  State  Bar 
Associations,  and  the  Manhattan,  Lotos,  City, 
Harmonie,  Bankers'  and  Lawyers'  Clubs,  Vice- 
President  of  the  Hebrew  Technical  School  for 
Girls,  Vice-President  of  the  Free  Synagogue  and 
a  Trustee  of  the  Baron  de  Hirsh  Fund,  and  a 
director  or  member  of  nearly  every  Jewish  phil- 
anthropic organization  in  the  city.  He  received 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Civil  Laws 
from  St.  Lawrence  University  in  1912  and  is  the 
joint  author  with  Garrard  Glenn  of  "Secret  Liens 
and  Reputed  Ownerships". 


FRANCIS  DE  CHANTAL  SULLIVAN 
Francis  de  Chantal  Sullivan  was  born  in  Balti- 
m.ore,  Md.,  and  after  being  educated  at  Le- 
yola  College,  in  that  city,  entered  business  life 
m  the  auditmg  department  of  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  Railroad  Co.  In  I  889  he  became  connected 
with  the  office  of  the  Vice-iPresident  of  the  South- 
ern Express  Co.  in  New  York,  and  soon  thereafter 
Secretary  to  the  President  of  the  same  company, 
and  the  Plant  System  of  railroads.  In  1899  he 
was  appointed  Assistant  President  of  the  Plant 
System  and  in  I  900  was  made  Assistant  Secretary 
and  Treasurer  of  the  Southern  Express  Co.  He 
has  acted  as  Financial  Agent  of  Morton  F.  Plant 
since  1902.  Mr.  Sullivan  is  President  of  the 
West  Bay  Naval  Stores  and  Lumber  Co.,  of 
Florida ;  Vice-President  of  the  Shore  Line  Electric 
Co.  of  Connecticut  and  is  a  Director  in  a  dozen 
railway,  financial  and  commercial  companies.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Maryland  Society,  the  New 
York,  Lotos,  Nassau  Country.  Sleepy  Hollow 
Country  and  Recess  clubs  of  New  York  City  and 
the  Bloomingrove  Hunting  and  Fishing  Club  of 
Gleneyrie,  Pa.    His  office  is  at  61  Broadway. 


A  View  of  the  Original  Fort  at  the  Battery 


150 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NE[V 


WILLIAM  SCHUYLLR  JACKSON 

Attorney-General.  State  of  New  ^'ork,    IW7,  1908. 


"He  has  been  the  most  active  and  energetic 
Attorney-General  the  State  of  New  York  ever 
had,  and  has  earned  the  gratitude  of  all  classes — 
from  the  highest  to  the  lowest — with  the  exception 
of  monopolists  and  public  plunderers  who,  it  goes 
without  saying,  hate  him  with  a  bitter  hiUred." — 
(Editorial,  Pluttshursh  Repuhliccm,  Aug.  29. 
1908.) 


"Attorney-General  Jackson's  record  is  truly,  as 
a  contemporary  has  said,  'a  record  ol  amazing 
activity  in  behalf  of  the  people,'  and  one  of  which 
the  Democratic  party  may  well  be  proud." — 
(Editorial,  Albany  Argus,  Aug.  24,  1908.) 

"Attorney-General  Jackson  is  a  man  who  has 
done  something.  Powerful  interests  have  neither 
awed  nor  swayed  him  from  the  faithful  perform- 
ance of  his  duty.  He  has  gone  after  law-breakers, 
both  high  and  low." — (Editorial,  Ncn'  Yorif 
American,  June  9,  1908.) 

"The  worst  of  public  sentiments  in  fighting  the 
battles  of  the  people  is,  'What's  the  use?'  At- 
torney-General Jackson  of  this  State  has  shown 
the  people  that  there  is  use.  We  believe  that  the 
very  heart  of  public  service  is  to  have  the  stamina 


to   fight   without    let-up    for   the    popular  cause. 

We  have  shown  that  there  is  use  in 
fighting  inch  by  inch  and  foot  by  foot.  And. 
in  fighting  inch  by  inch  and  foot  by  foot,  we  be- 
lieve that  the  true  struggle  for  American  law  and 
American  justice  and  the  American  people  is  be- 
ing carried  to  final  victory  for  the  benefit  of  all; 
even  for  those  who  fatuously  try  to  show  that  there 
is  no  use." — (Editorial,  New  York  American. 
March  7.  1908.) 

William  Schuyler  Jackson  is  descended  ma- 
ternally from  families  distinguished  in  New  Eng- 
land's colonial  history.  One  ancestor  was  Captain 
Hill  who  finally  drove  the  warring  Indians  from 
Connecticut.  Another  ancestor  was  Captain  Wads- 
worth  who  hid  Connecticut's  Charter  in  the  hollow 
tree  renowned  as  "Charter  Oak"  when  James  II 
demanded  the  charter's  surrender.  Five  ancestors 
fought  with  Washington  in  the  Revolution,  and 
the  family  includes  the  well  known  names  of  Noah 
Webster,  Horatio  Seymour  and  the  Wades,  Kel- 
loggs  and  Hales  of  Connecticut. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  born  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  April' 
M,  1869.  His  father,  David  George  Jackson, 
class  of  1857  of  Hamilton  College,  practiced  law 
in  Buffalo  many  years  and  was  widely  known 
as  an  able  trial  lawyer  and  an  eloquent  Demo- 
cratic campaign  orator.  His  mother.  Helen  Maria 
(Wade)  Jackson,  was  a  daughter  of  Schuyler 
Wade.  Of  all  ancestral  things,  Mr.  Jackson  likes 
best  to  tell  of  his  grandfather,  William  Jackson, 
who  came  from  England  and  settled  in  Oneida 
County,  N.  Y.,  when  a  boy,  and,  after  taking  the 
first  prize  for  ploughing  at  several  Oneida  County 
Fairs,  won  the  first  prize  for  ploughing  at  the  first 
State  Fair  held  in  this  State,  at  Utica  in  the  early 
'Forties.  Mr.  Jackson  says  that  this  showed  a 
desire  to  excel  in  whatever  the  work  in  hand  might 
be,  and  that  the  recollection  of  the  laughing  pride 
with  which  his  grandfather  related  his  conquests 
of  the  soil  has  been  a  lifelong  spur  to  the  highest 
endeavor. 

Mr.  Jackson  attended  the  grammar  and  high 
schools  of  Buffalo,  and  entered  Cornell  University 
with  the  class  of  1891,  taking  the  course  in 
Architecture  because  of  an  aptitude  for  drawing 
shown  since  early  boyhood.  He  was  elected  one 
of  the  editors  of  the  '91  Cornellian,  but  at  the 
close  of  the  sophomore  year  he  decided  to  study 
law,  and  he  entered  his  father's  law  office  and 
attended  the  Buffalo  Law  School,  receiving  the 
degree  Bachelor  of  Laws  in  1891.  During  his 
course  at  the  law  school  he  taught  freehand  and 
mechanical  drawing  for  two  years  at  the  Buffalo 
Night  High  School. 

In   1891   he  was  appointed  a  Special  Deputy 


NEIV    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


151 


County  Clerk  of  Erie  County,  N.  Y.,  acting  as 
clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court,  Trial  and  General 
Terms  for  three  years.  He  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  this  State  in  1  893. 

In  1898  he  volunteered  for  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can War,  receiving  a  commission  as  Second  Lieu- 
tenant in  the  65th  Regiment  New  York  Volun- 
teer Infantry  and  serving  until  the  muster  out  of 
that  regiment.  Then  he  was  commissioned  First 
Lieutenant  and  Battalion  Quartermaster  upon  the 
65th's  regimental  staff,  N.  G.  N.  Y.,  and  so  con- 
tinued for  about  nine  years,  when  he  resigned  be- 
cause of  removal  to  New  York  City. 

Shortly  after  the  close  of  the  Spanish-American 
War  he  was  appointed  an  Assistant  City  Attorney 
of  Buffalo,  under  Corporation  Counsel  Cuddeback 
(now  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Appeals)  and  served 
during  the  balance  of  Mr.  Cuddeback's  three 
year  term. 

In  1 903  he  was  appointed  Second  Assistant 
District  Attorney  of  Erie  County,  N.  Y .,  being 
promoted  to  First  Assistant  in  1 906.  In  this  of- 
fice his  services  were  notable,  particularly  in  the 
prosecution  of  crimes  of  larceny  and  bribery 
charged  against  prominent  public  and  bank  of- 
ficials in  connection  with  the  construction  of  a  new 
65th  Regiment  Armory  at  Buffalo.  Mr.  Jack- 
son's energetic  work  in  unearthing  the  facts  and  in 
the  conduct  of  the  subsequent  hotly  contested 
trials  resulted  in  numerous  convictions  and  brought 
him  the  wide  and  favorable  attention  of  the  voters 
of  the  State. 

It  was  because  of  this  record  that  he  was  nom- 
inated in  1906  by  both  the  Democratic  and  In- 
dependence League  parties  for  the  office  of  At- 
torney-General. He  received  a  larger  number  of 
votes  than  any  other  candidate  on  the  Democratic 
ticket,  receiving  720,338,  as  against  708,778 
cast  for  the  Republican  candidate. 

His  first  official  act  as  Attorney-General  was 
to  commence  an  action  to  determine  the  New  York 
City  Mayoralty  election  of  1905.  The  charges 
of  fraud  in  this  election  were  a  State  scandal, 
and  Mr.  Jackson's  predecessor  in  office  had 
refused  to  act.  Before  his  election  Mr.  Jackson 
had  declared  that  he  would  be  satisfied  with  his 
accomplishment  if  he  could  do  no  more  during 
his  official  term  than  to  reverse  this  conduct  of  the 
Attorney-General's  office  and  obtain  a  recount  of 
the  ballots.  The  State  Legislature,  at  its  1907 
session,  passed  a  recount  bill  which  the  Court  of 
Appeals  held  to  be  unconstitutional.  So  it  re- 
mained for  Mr.  Jackson,  after  overcoming  an  al- 
most unprecedented  number  of  legal  obstacles  and 
after  obtaining  several  decisions  by  the  Court  of 
Appeals  upon  new  questions  of  law  which  caused 
The  People  against  McClellan  to  be  the  most 
cited  case  undei  the  election  law,  to  win  finally  a 
recount  of  the  ballots. 


After  two  defeats  before  lower  tribunals,  he 
argued  and  won  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States  the  "Eighty-Cent  Gas  Case",  with 
an  immediate  consequence  to  consumers  of  a  re- 
turn of  about  $12,000,000  excess  payments  and 
the  saving  of  several  millions  of  dollars  annually 
in  the  future. 

He  prevented  the  formation  of  a  telephone 
monopoly;  successfully  attacked  the  unconstitu- 
tional apportionment  of  the  state  made  in  1906; 
fought  the  attempt  of  the  telegraph  companies  to 
raise  rates;  forced  the  Syracuse  Gas  Company 
to  conform  to  the  rate  fixed  by  the  State  Commis- 
sion; exposed  the  corporate  stealing  of  timber  and 
lands  in  the  public  forest  preserve;  secured  the 
indictment  and  conviction  of  the  New  York  Ice 
Trust  and  of  those  connected  with  the  sale  of 
lands  for  Kissena  Park  in  Flushing,  the  latter  af- 
fair resulting  in  the  retirement  from  office  of  the 
Borough  president;  attacked  the  traction  trust  of 
New  York  City  and  sought  a  restoration  of 
the  transfer  system;  more  than  any  previous 
occupant  of  the  office,  has  vigorously  enforced  the 
agricultural  and  pure  food  laws;  exposed  the  crim- 
inal methods  of  many  New  York  City  bankers, 
driving  out  corrupt  management  and  reopening  the 
closed  banks  under  new  and  clean  administrations; 
saved?  $220,000  to  the  depositors  of  the  Knicker- 
bocker Trust  Company;  ended  a  system  of  "ex- 
tras" in  connection  with  barge  canal  contracts  by 
which  the  $9,000,000  appropriation  had  been  dis- 
sipated under  a  former  Republican  administration; 
and,  far  more  than  any  of  his  predecessors,  cease- 
lessly prosecuted  election  crimes  and  placed  elec- 
tion crooks  behind  the  bars. 

This  record,  here  only  skeletonized,  has  well 
been  said  to  be  "a  record  of  amazing  activity 
in  behalf  of  the  people"  and  is  so  regarded  by  the 
masses  of  the  voters  of  all  political  parties.  It 
seems  to  be  everywhere  recognized  throughout  the 
Empire  State  that  during  every  minute  of  his  oc- 
cupancy of  his  arduous  office  he  sought  only  to 
establish  popular  rule. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  term  of  office  Mr. 
Jackson  started  to  practice  law  in  New  York  City. 
At  present  he  is  of  regular  counsel  for  the  Inter- 
borough  Rapid  Transit  Company  and  the  New 
^  ork  Railways  Coropany. 

Mr.  Jackson  has  a  daughter,  Helen  Wade 
Jackson  of  twenty-one  years,  a  teacher  of  piano 
music  and  active  in  Red  Cross  work,  and  a  son, 
David  Staley  Jackson,  who  at  present  writing 
(1917)  is  the  1st  Sergeant  of  Battery  A,  3rd 
N.  Y.  Field  Artillery  and  in  camp  at  Spartan- 
burg, S.  C,  preparatory  to  going  to  France. 
The  son  has  been  recommended  by  his  superiors 
for  an  officer  s  commission  but  has  been  refused 
this  because  only  twenty  years  old. 


152 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


Gl^Y  LOWELL 
Guy  Lowell,  whose  work  as  an  architect  has 
brought  him  a  nation-wide  reputation,  is  a  native 
of  Boston,  where  he  was  born  August  6,  1870,  the 
son  of  Edward  and  Mary  W.  (Goodrich) 
Lowell.  He  graduated  from  Harvard  University 
in  1892  with  the  degree  of  A.B.  and  from  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  in  1894, 
with  the  B.S.  degree.  His  professional  training 
was  at  the  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts,  Pans,  which 
institution  he  left  in  1899,  thoroughly  equipped  fcrr 
architectural  work.  He  began  practice  at  Boston 
in  1 900  and  among  his  early  work  there  was  the 


HON.  BARTOW  SUMTER  WEEKS 
Hon.  Bartow  S.  Weeks,  Justice  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  born  in  Round  Hill,  Connecticut, 
April  25,  1861,  the  son  of  Col.  Henry  Astor  and 
Alethea  Hyde  (White)  Weeks.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  New  York  City  public  schools  and 
the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York,  graduating 
from  the  latter  in  1879  with  the  A.  B.  degree. 
His  legal  studies  were  at  the  Columbia  College 
Law  Scliool  and  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 


Criminal  Courts  Building 


Museum  of  Fine  Arts.  He  also  designed  the 
Cumberland  County  Court  House,  Portland,  Me., 
and  the  New  Hampshire  Historical  Society  build- 
ing at  Concord,  N.  H.  Since  practicing  in  New 
York  City,  Mr.  Lowell  has  executed  some  of  the 
most  notable  work  here  and  throughout  the  coun- 
try which  includes  commercial  and  educational 
buildings  and  residences.  He  was  lecturer  on  land- 
scape architecture  at  the  Massachusetts  Institute  of 
Technology,  1900-13,  and  is  the  author  of 
"American  Gardens,"  a  work  that  has  been  ex- 
tensively circulated  He  was  married  May  1  7, 
I  898,  to  Henrietta  Sargeant,  of  Brookline,  Mass. 
His  studio  is  at  225  Fifth  Avenue. 


1 883,  immediately  after  securing  his  LL.  B.  de- 
gree. He  was  for  seven  years  Assistant  District 
Attorney  of  New  York  and  was  in  private  prac- 
tice when  appointed  to  the  Supreme  Court,  April, 
1913.  He  was  Commander  in  Chief  of  the  Sons 
of  Veterans,  U.  S.  A..  1891-92,  and  President 
of  the  Amateur  Athletic  Union  in  1898.  His 
clubs  are  the  Manhattan,  National  Democratic, 
New  York  Athletic  and  Atlantic  Yacht.  He 
also  holds  membership  in  the  Alpha  Delta  Phi 
Fraternity. 


CHAPTER  NINE 

Domestic  Transportation  In,  From  and  To  New  York 


Rix  ER  AND  Rail  Communications  for  Freight  and  Passengers — Urban  and  In- 

TERBOROUGH  SYSTEMS  OF  LoCAL  TRANSPORT.  SuRFACE.  ElEVATED  AND  SuBWAY 


TO  make  so  great  a  city  as  New  York  already 
is,  and  still  more  to  make  the  kind  of  city 
which  it  IS  gomg  to  be,  the  question  of  trans- 
portation IS  of  prime  importance.  Naturally  New 
York,  with  its  great  land-locked,  storm-free  waters, 
is  an  ideal  center  for  water  transportation.  Equally 
it  is  naturally  at  great  disadvantage  as  a  center 
of  communication  landward.  The  elongated  cone 
Manhattan,  with  ninety  per  cent,  of  its  great  fi- 
nancial and  commercial  interest  congested  in  the  end 
of  its  tapering  apex,  presents  many  problems  of 
transportation  that  few  other  great  cities  have  ever 
had  to  face. 

In  I  795  the  question  of  land  transportation 
troubled  little.  Except  for  a  few  rural  folk  who 
lived  in  Greenwich  Village  everybody  who  did 
business  in  town  could  walk  to  business,  or  when 
going  shopping,  calling  or  visiting.  If  one  owned 
a  country  estate  out  in  Harlem,  or  Bloomingdale, 
or  Yorkville,  or  in  any  other  distant  neighborhood, 
he  had  a  horse  or  a  carriage  to  make  the  journey. 
There  were  no  street  cars,  omnibuses,  hacks  or 
cabs,  or  other  public  vehicles  for  getting  about  the 
city.  But  the  city  at  that  time  extended  only  as 
far  as  Reade  Street  and  a  little  farther  north  along 
the  Bowery  Road. 

There  was  a  stage  line  from  Paulus  Hook 
(now  Jersey  City)  to  Philadelphia  which  had  been 
established  in  I  756.  This  was  not  the  first  line, 
but  the  first  to  become  regular.  There  had  been 
a  stage  in  1733-1734  which  carried  passengers 
once  a  week  between  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  on 
the  Delaware,  and  Amboy,  opposite  Staten  Island. 
That  had  been  abandoned  but  the  newer  route 
promised  greater  celerity,  the  announcement  made 
for  it  informing  the  astonished  populace  that  pas- 
sengers would  be  carried  "Through,  in  three  days 
only."  But  by  I  795  the  time  had  been  speeded 
up  and  by  means  of  relays  passengers  were  landed 
in  Philadelphia  after  a  two  days'  journey. 

Other  stage  routes  came  after  the  opening  of 


the  new  century,  with  regular  service  to  Boston, 
Albany,  and  other  nearer  places  outside  of  the 
limits  of  Manhattan  with  stage  coaches  closely 
following  English  models.  There  was  also  a 
lighter  stage  coach,  of  the  kind  that  became  known 
as  "Broadway  stages,"  which  had  regular  trips 
with  scheduled  times  of  arriving  and  departure. 
The  stage  to  Greenwich  Viflage  started  from 
Baker's  Tavern,  in  Wall  Street,  corner  of  New 
Street;  the  others  to  Harlem  and  Manhattanville, 
respectively,  started  from  the  Bull's  Head  in  the 
Bowery,  which  was  on  a  site  nearly  opposite  the 
Bowery  Theatre  of  a  later  period. 

Water  transportation  was  more  available.  For 
crossing  the  two  rivers  there  were  various  boats 
offering  ferriage  by  sail  or  oar  propulsion,  the 
regular  ferry  to  Staten  Island,  started  in  1  753, 
being  a  sailboat  arrangement  which  was  good  or 
bad  according  to  the  available  wind. 

The  period  for  some  years  preceding  the  intro- 
duction of  steam  ferries  in  1812  was  bridged  by 
the  introduction  of  horse  boats,  which  were  small 
barges  moved  by  paddle-wheels  rotated  by  four 
horses  walking  around  a  shaft  on  board  the  boat. 
By  these  vessels  one  could  be  conveyed  across 
either  river  for  four  cents.  Fulton  began  the  con- 
struction of  steam  ferryboats  in  the  year  !8II, 
put  two  in  service  on  the  North  River  in  1812, 
and  others  on  the  East  River  in  1813,  putting 
the  horse-boats  out  of  business.  Steam  has  since 
ruled  in  ferry  service  with  improvements  in  boats 
that  have  kept  pace  fairly  well  with  new  methods 
of  building,  most  of  the  ferryboats  being  fine  speci- 
mens of  boat-building  although  on  a  few  lines 
there  are  survivals  of  less  efficient  and  less  sanitary 
days. 

Fulton's  introduction  of  steam  in  1807  marked 
an  epoch  for  the  world  at  large  as  well  as  for  the 
city  where  effective  steam  navigation  had  its  birth, 
but  it  was  on  the  Hudson  that  its  usefulness  re- 
ceived the  first  and  most  convincing  tests  and  was 


154 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


soonest  translated  iioni  expeiiment  mto  regular 
service,  a  line  from  New  York  to  Albany  being 
soon  in  operation. 

The  introduction  of  steam  navigation  on  the 
Hudson  gave  form  and  substance  to  a  project 
which  had  before  been  suggested  but  had  aroused 
only  dubious  interest:  that  of  water  communica- 
tion between  the  Hudson  and  the  Great  Lakes. 

Improvement  of  the  rivers  of  the  interior  had 
been  a  favorite  subject  of  discussion,  and  experi- 
ments had  been  started  soon  after  the  Revolution 
in  the  endeavor  to  make  the  Mohawk  a  navigable 
stream.  Upon  the  initiative  of  General  Schuyler, 
who  had  proposed  a  system  of  locks  to  surmount  the 
cataracts  of  the  Mohawk  at  Little  Falls,  a  canal 
about  two  and  three-fourths  miles  long  had  been 
built,  with  five  locks  to  demonstrate  its  feasibility. 
As  early  as  1  791  the  Legislature  had  appointed  a 
commission  to  survey  the  region  between  Wood 
Creek,  which  falls  into  Lake  Ontario,  and  the 
Hudson  and  to  estimate  the  cost  of  connecting  the 
two  streams  by  canal.  The  "Inland  Lock  Naviga- 
tion Company,"  with  General  Schuyler  as  president, 
was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  in  1  792  and 
by  1797  it  had  connected  Wood  Creek  with  the 
Mohawk  and  in  a  few  years  had  made  it  possi- 
ble for  boats  to  pass  from  Schenectady  into 
Oneida  Lake.  Gouverneur  Mortis  became  inter- 
ested in  the  canal  idea  and  in  1810  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Legislature  head  of  a  commission 
to  explore  the  whole  route  for  inland  navigation 
from  the  Hudson  River  to  Lake  Ontario  and  to 
Lake  Erie. 

The  commission  reported  in  181  I  that  the  sur- 
vey had  been  made  and  that  the  project  was  quite 
feasible.  The  Legislature  acted  upon  this  report 
by  passing  an  act  giving  the  commissioners  "power 
to  manage  all  matters  relating  to  the  navigation  be- 
tween the  Hudson  and  the  Lakes,"  authorized  it 
to  ask  aid  from  Congress  and  other  States;  to  as- 
certain if  a  loan  of  five  million  dollars  could  be  ne- 
gotiated; and  to  arrange  for  the  purchase  of  the 
charter  and  property  of  the  Inland  Lock  Naviga- 
tion Company.  Chancellor  Livingston  and  Robert 
Fulton  were  added  to  the  commission.  Gouverneui 
Morris  and  DeWitt  Clinton  made  personal  ap- 
pearance before  the  proper  committee  of  Congress 
in  behalf  of  National  assistance  to  the  project, 
which  the  Congressmen,  while  admitting  that  it 
involved  a  great  National  benefit  also  argued  that 
the  project  was  a  State  enterprise  which  could  not 
be  taken  up  by  Congress  without  doing  similar 
things  for  the  other  States.  After  this  rebuff 
from  Congress  the  second  war  with  Great  Britain 
intervened  to  wean  public  attention  from  the  purely 
domestic  undertaking,  which  was  laid  by  for  the 
time  being  until  taken  up  by  that  statesman  of 
broad  vision,  DeWitt  Clinton,  and  brought  to  its 
great  and  culminating  success,  in  1825. 

Meanwhile  the  steamboat  had  been  battling 
against  opposition.     When  the  Clermont  attained 


the  marvelous  speed  of  hve  miles  an  hour  on  its 
trip  to  Albany,  the  Legislature  granted  to  Fulton 
and  Livingston  a  monopoly  of  steam  navigation  by 
an  act  passed  in  1 808.  The  period  was  to  be 
for  five  years,  with  an  added  five  years  to  this  ex- 
clusive privilege  for  each  new  boat  added  to  serv- 
ice, provided  that  the  whole  term  should  not  ex- 
ceed thirty  years. 

The  most  intense  jealousy  was  stirred  in  the 
ranks  of  owners  of  sailing  vessels  when  they  saw 
how  popular  the  Clermont  was  as  a  passenger 
packet.  Several  attempts  were  made  by  running 
foul  of  the  Clermont,  and  in  other  ways,  to  com- 
pass her  destruction,  a  special  law  being  passed 
to  prevent  such  trespasses  by  making  them  criminal. 
An  injunction  suit  was  brought  by  the  sailing  ves- 
sel men  to  stop  the  running  of  the  Clermont  be- 
cause they  claimed  that  navigation  of  the  river  was 
theirs  by  right  of  prescription.  The  absurd  thing 
about  this  suit  is  that  it  actually  came  to  trial 
though  Daniel  Webster  won  an  easy  victory  for 
Fulton  and  Livingston.  Many  jjatent  suits  were 
brought  and  the  monopoly  of  Fulton  and  Livingston 
was  attacked  in  the  State  Courts,  by  which  it  was 
fully  upheld.  But  it  was  terminated  by  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  United  States  in  1825,  as  an 
unconstitutional  grant. 

The  war  of  1812  having  terminated  in  a  way 
that  silenced  the  British  claim  of  right  to  search 
American  vessels,  commerce  was  set  free  and  for- 
eign trade  was  resumed.  Domestic  and  coastwise 
trade  was  greatly  stimulated  also,  and  when  the 
Erie  Canal  was  completed  it  solved  a  large  part  of 
the  transportation  problem  by  furnishing  means  of 
procuring  the  products  of  a  vast  trade  territory  at 
reasonable  freight  rates. 

Although  the  railroad  era  began  soon  after  the 
canal  was  completed  it  did  not,  as  was  expected 
by  many,  supersede  the  canal  as  a  means  of  trans- 
portation. There  was  a  time  when  a  falling  off 
in  canal  traffic  seemed  to  presage  its  extinction  but 
its  value  has  increased  with  the  years  although  the 
plant  became  antiquated  and  utterly  inadequate  to 
modern  requirements.  The  original  canals  of 
New  York  were,  in  brief:  The  Erie  Canal, 
387  miles  long  and  twelve  feet  deep,  from  Al- 
bany to  Buffalo,  constructed  at  a  cost  of  $52,- 
540,800;  Oswego  Canal,  38  miles  long  and  12 
feet  deep,  from  Oswego  to  Syracuse,  constructed 
at  a  cost  of  $5,539,526;  the  Champlain  Canal, 
from  Whitehall,  N.  Y.,  to  Watervliet.  N.  Y., 
81  miles  long  and  12  feet  deep,  constructed  at  a 
cost  of  $4,644,000;  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca 
Canal,  from  Montezuma.  N.  Y.,  to  Cayuga  and 
Seneca  Lakes,  N.  Y.,  25  miles  long  and  12  feet 
deep. 

In  1903  the  inadequacy  of  the  canals  for 
present  needs  was  brought  before  the  Legislature 
and  it  was  resolved  to  improve  and  enlarge  the 
canal,  widening  it  to  accommodate  large  barges 
and  enlarging  and  modernizing  its  landings  and 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


155 


terminals.  The  cost  was  estimated  at  $101,- 
000,000  and  the  plan  offered  was  submitted  to 
the  people  and  ratified  at  the  polls.  The  four 
canals  are  consolidated  by  the  Act  under  one  sys- 
tem, with  the  name  of  the  Barge  Canal,  the  four 
canals,  with  the  lakes  forming  a  part  of  them, 
making  a  total  of  approximately  530  miles  of 
waterway  of  dimensions  sufficient  to  accommo- 
date Barge  Canal  craft.  Work  has  been  going 
on  ever  since ;  the  originally  designated  width  of 
twenty-eight  feet  has  been  increased  to  forty-five 
feel.     Land  damages  have  been  larger  than  was 


of  the  work  had  been  finished  in  1915.  It  was 
expected  that  the  entire  canal  with  branches  will 
be  finished  and  in  use  before  the  close  of  the  sea- 
son of  1917. 

This  larger  waterway  continues  its  great  prestige 
as  the  most  valuable  feeder  from  April  to  Decem- 
ber of  every  year  of  the  commerce  that  has  made 
New  York  a  world  metropolis. 

Much  as  the  application  of  steam  to  marine  pro- 
pulsion benefited  the  world,  the  invention  of  Ful- 
ton stands  in  second  place  to  that  of  George  Ste- 
venson in  the  benefits  conferred  on  the  race.  The 


New  Post  Office,  Eighth  Avenue  and  Thirty-first  Street 


estimated  at  first;  increased  cost  of  materials,  ab- 
rogation and  reletting  of  contracts  and  the  enact- 
ment of  the  Eight  Hour  Law  and  Workmen's 
Compensation  Law  has  added  to  the  cost.  The 
estimate  of  $101,000,000  was  for  enlarging  the 
Erie,  Champlain  and  Oswego  Canals  only,  and 
the  cost  of  enlarging  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  Canal 
was  estimated  at  $7,000,000.  The  $101,000.- 
000  estimate  has  since  been  increased  by  $19,- 
000,000  for  terminals  and  $8,000,000  for 
branches.  Sections  of  the  Canal  have  been  opened 
from  time  to  time  as  completed,  and  85  per  cent. 


railroad  has  been  a  great  civilizer.  It  has  done 
more  to  build  up  the  material  welfare  of  the 
United  States,  soothe  its  savages  and  wipe  out  its 
frontiers  than  all  the  other  mechanical  means  at 
the  disposal  of  civilization. 

New  York  has  benefited  greatly  by  its  railway 
systems.  It  takes  no  longer  and  is  less  of  an  ad- 
venture to  go  from  here  to  California  in  1917 
than  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia  in  1795. 
There  are  now  men — not  a  few —  who  travel  both 
ways  on  the  last  named  trip  every  business  day. 

The  first  railroad  line  in  New  York  City  was 


156 


NEW    )'()RK    0!.D    AND  NEW 


A  horsf-railroad,  the  New  ^'ork  and  1  larlem.  It 
was  the  first  horse  railway  in  the  world  used  for 
passenger  service  and  thus  the  progenitor  or  pre- 
cursor of  all  the  tram  and  trolley  systems  of  this 
and  other  countries.  Its  original  starting  point  was 
on  Park  Row.  opposite  the  Astor  House,  from 
which  it  was  started  in  1831,  reached  Fourteenth 
Street  in  1832,  Thirty-second  Street  in  1833. 
Yorkville  in  1834.  Harlem  m  1837.  Williams- 
bridge  in  1842.  White  Plains  in  1844,  Dover 
Plains  in  1848  and  Chatham  Corners  in  1852. 
As  a  horse  railroad  its  route  was  from  opposite 
the  Astor  House,  thence  up  Park  Row,  Centre 
and  Broome  Streets,  Bowery  and  Fourth  Avenue 
to  Twenty-Seventh  Street.  From  there  on  it  be- 
came a  steam  railway. 

The  Hudson  River  Railroad,  chartered  in 
1846,  was  opened  from  New  York  to  East  Al- 
bany in  1851.  The  New  York  Central  Railroad, 
organized  in  1853,  was  a  consolidation  of  about 
a  dozen  short  roads  into  one  company  with  a  con- 
tinuous line  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  and  in  1  869 
by  consolidation  with  the  Hudson  River  Railroad 
it  became  the  New  York  Central  &  Hudson 
River  Railroad  which  in  1873  leased  the  New 
York  and  Harlem  Railroad  over  whose  tracks 
the  trains  of  the  company's  passenger  service 
reached  the  Grand  Central  Station.  The  terminal 
on  this  site,  begun  in  1  869  and  completed  in  1871, 
was  long  looked  upon  as  the  last  word  in  railway 
terminals,  especially  after  it  was  remodeled  in 
1899.  By  1910  it  had  become  obsolete  from 
the  standpoint  of  the  "Central's"  management  and 
it  was  taken  down  to  make  room,  with  much  ad- 
joining property  that  had  been  acquired,  for  the 
present  magnificent  structure.  While  it  was  be- 
ing built  the  company  was  carrying  on  a  remarkable 
engineering  work  in  the  electrification  of  its  lines 
within  a  radius  of  thirty  miles  of  the  city.  The 
"Central"  system  is  famous  for  the  speed  of  its 
trains,  the  fine  equipment  of  its  terminals,  stations 
and  rolling  stock  and  the  perfection  of  its  service. 

The  New  York  Central  acquired  various  other 
roads  to  complete  its  system  of  Western  connec- 
tions, including  the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan 
Southern,  Michigan  Central,  Canada  Southern  and 
tributary  roads  to  these,  giving  it  two  great  trunk 
line  connections  beyond  Buffalo  to  Chicago,  and 
the  "Big  Four  System"  with  its  terminal  at  St. 
Louis.  I  wo  other  lines  built  to  Chicago  with  the 
idea  of  dividing  the  Central's  business  by  parallel- 
ing its  tracks — the  so-called  "Nickel  Plate"  and 
West  Shore  roads — were  acquired  by  the  New 
York  Central.  All  these  great  railroad  lines  are 
managed  by  one  general  executive  organization 
and  form  the  chief  connection  between  New  York 
and  the  cities  of  Cleveland,  Detroit,  Chicago.  Cin- 
cinnati, Indianapolis,  St.  Louis  and  points  in  all 
States  of  the  Central  West. 

The  New  York  Central  was  the  second  trunk 
line  to  reach  the  city.     The  first  was  the  Erie 


Railro.id  which,  as  lias  already  been  nar- 
rated, was  completed  from  Dunkirk  on  Lake 
Erie  to  Weehawken.  New  Jersey,  opposite  the 
Forty-second  Street  Ferry  in  Manhattan.  It  is 
the  only  great  trunk  line  which  was  originally 
planned  as  such.  I  he  others  are  all,  more  or  less, 
the  result  of  consolidation  of  numerous  smaller  lines. 

I  he  third  of  the  great  railway  systems  to  reach 
New  York  was  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  That 
road,  originally  built  from  Philadelphia  to  Pitts- 
burgh, was  opened  for  through  traffic  between 
those  cities  on  February  15,  1854.  Meanwhile 
five  independent  railroads  in  New  Jersey,  covering 
the  route  between  Jersey  City  and  Philadelphia, 
had  been  consolidated  under  the  name  of  the 
United  Railways  of  New  Jersey.  These  were  ac- 
quired by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in  June, 
1871,  making  a  direct  road,  which  soon  became 
famous  for  its  excellent  train  service  between  New 
York  and  Philadelphia,  the  terminal  being  in  Jer- 
sey City  and  connected  by  ferries  with  the  Penn- 
sylvania stations  in  New  York.  The  great  Penn- 
sylvania System,  covering  lines  to  all  the  great 
cities  of  the  Middle  West,  was  also  opened  up 
to  the  travel  and  commerce  of  New  York.  Then 
it  undertook  the  great  engineering  enterprise  of  tun- 
neling under  the  Hudson  and  East  Rivers  and 
across  Manhattan  and,  by  acquiring  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  gaining  direct  lines  not  only  in 
Manhattan  but  also  the  boroughs  of  Brooklyn  and 
Queens.  The  magnificent  Terminal  Station  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  at  Seventh  Avenue  and 
Thirty-second  Street,  completed  in  1910,  is  a 
wonder  both  architecturally  and  in  the  train  and 
track  arrangements  by  which  the  great  business  of 
the  company  is  systematized. 

Another  important  railway  with  a  direct  line 
between  New  York  and  Philadelphia  and  lines 
reaching  to  many  of  the  most  important  points 
in  New  Jersey  is  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading 
System,  which  includes  the  Central  Railroad  of 
New  Jersey.  Its  terminal  is  in  Jersey  City, 
with  its  own  ferry  connections  with  stations 
in  New  York.  The  Reading  System  also 
includes  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  which 
reaches  many  of  the  most  important  and  thriving 
cities  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  and  also  has  a 
through  route  to  Chicago,  with  lines  also  to  Buf- 
falo and  Niagara  Falls. 

I  he  Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  Western  Rail- 
road was  a  consolidation  in  1853  of  various  small 
roads,  the  oldest  of  which,  the  Liggett's  Gap 
Railroad,  was  incorporated  in  1832.  The 
"Lackawanna  System,"  a  famous  route  between 
New  York  and  Buffalo,  is  also  one  of  the  best  of 
commuters'  roads  with  fine  service  to  many  of  the 
most  beautiful  New  Jersey  suburbs,  which  con- 
tribute so  large  a  percentage  of  their  populations  to 
the  business  life  of  New  York.  The  road  is  ex- 
cellently equipped  and  all  its  stations  are  attract- 
ively built. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


157 


The  New  ^  ork.  New  Haven  &  Hartford 
Railroad  was  a  consolidation  formed  in  1872  of 
the  New  York  &  New  Haven  and  the  Hart- 
ford &  New  Haven  companies.  By  acquire- 
ment of  the  Boston  &  Maine  and  other  roads 
the  company  has  become  the  main  channel  of  com- 
munication between  New  York  and  the  centers  of 
New  England. 

Local  transportation  has  made  rapid  strides 
since  on  November  26,  1832,  the  first  horse  car 
in  the  world  made  its  way  over  the  tracks  laid 
from  Prince  Street  to  Fourteenth  Street.  The 
various  steps  in  intraurban  transit  have  already 
been  sufficiently  outlined.  Rapid  transit  has  been 
the  great  demand  of  the  public  for  many  years. 
The  last  horse  car  in  Manhattan  ran  its  last  trip 
in  May,  1917,  over  one  of  the  routes  on  which  the 
operating  company  kept  a  car  moving  in  order  to 
hold  the  franchise.  The  cable  was  tried  in  New 
York  as  first  relief  for  the  horse-car.     It  had  been 


a  success  in  San  Francisco,  Chicago  and  Kansas 
City,  before  New  York  tried  it,  and  just  as  it  was 
getting  fairly  to  work  the  use  of  electric  traction 
came  in  and  today  all  of  the  many  surface  lines 
are  so  propelled.  The  subway,  built  with  a  view 
to  satisfy  the  demands  for  decades  to  come,  having 
been  built  with  the  idea  of  handling  about  five 
hundred  thousand  passengers  in  a  single  day,  found 
itself  in  ten  years  carrying  more  than  a  million. 
The  new  subways  which  have  been  building  and 
which  will  more  than  double  the  present  capacity 
cover  new  routes  and  carry  the  advantages  of 
rapid  transit  to  many  places  farther  afield  than  have 
been  reached  by  any  previous  extension.  The 
vast  amount  of  it  would  seem  to  be  sufficient  to 
serve  the  people  comfortably  for  many  years.  But 
the  city  is  growing  w'lth  undiminished  rapidity  and 
it  has  caught  up  with  all  previous  attempts  to 
satisfy  the  demand,  which  becomes  continually 
more  clamorous  for  rapid  transit. 


RALPH  PETERS 
Ralph   Peters,   President  of   the  Long  Island 
Railroad  Co.,  who  has  labored  assidiously  to  con- 
vert that  road  from  a  summer  tourist  proposition 


to  a  trunk  line,  has  had  long  experience  in  rail- 
road work.     He  was  born  in  Atlanta,  Georgia, 


November  19,  1853,  and  received  the  B.  A. 
degree  from  the  University  of  Georgia  in  1872. 
His  first  connection  was  with  the  Atlanta  Street 
Railway  Co.,  after  which  he  filled  many  positions 
with  various  Western  railway  companies  controlled 
by  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  System.  In  June, 
I90L  he  was  made  General  Superintendent  of 
the  Southwest  system  of  the  Pennsylvania  lines 
west  of  Pittsburgh,  with  offices  in  Columbus. 
Ohio. 

His  record  in  this  position  was  of  such  a 
character  that  he  was  chosen  President  and  Gen- 
eral Manager  of  the  Long  Island  Railroad  Co., 
in  April,  1905.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  at 
the  head  of  that  system,  which  includes  the  Long 
Island  Railroad,  the  New  York  &  Rockaway 
Beach  Railroad,  the  Montauk  Steamboat  Com- 
pany, Ltd.,  and  eighteen  other  subsidiary  lines. 
Mr.  Peters  is  a  Director  of  the  Nassau-Suffolk 
Bond  &  Mortgage  Guarantee  Company  and  is  in- 
terested in  several  other  financial  institutions.  He 
IS  a  member  of  the  New  York  Society,  Sons  of 
the  Revolution,  the  Garden  City  Golf  Club,  the 
Garden  City  Club,  the  Piping  Rock  Club,  the 
National  Golf  Links,  the  Cherry  Valley  Club,  the 
Union  League,  the  Bankers'  Club  of  America  and 
the  Railway  Club  of  New  York  City.  He  is 
also  deeply  interested  in  many  civic  betterment  and 
improvement  mo\ements. 


158 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


LOCOMOTIVE  SUPERHEATER  C  O. 


The  use  of  superheated  steam  in  locomotive 
practice  became  established  on  American  rail- 
roads about  six  years  ago.  Its  recognition,  fol- 
lowing an  experimental  period  of  several  years  on 
both  European  and  American  roads,  came  at  a 
time  when  there  was  considerable  legislation  that 
reduced  the  flexibility  of  railroad  earning  power. 
This  condition,  coupled  with  rapidly  increasing 
costs  of  operation,  resulted  in  the  reduction  of 
net  earnings  and  made  economy  emphatically  nec- 
essary. That  the  use  of  superheated  steam  is 
one  of  the  most  important  factors  which  enables 
railroads  to  meet  the  imposed  conditions  is  af- 
firmed by  all  who  are  familiar  with  its  advanta- 
ges and  established  by  the  fact  that  between  20,- 
000  and  25,000  locomotives,  representing  all 
types  and  classes  that  find  their  place  among  rail- 
road motive  power,  have  been  equipped  within 
six  years  and  are  in  service  today. 

Directly,  superheating  works  for  the  economy 
of  the  railroad  by  enabling  locomotives  to  do  the 
same  work  as  other  like  locomotives  not  so  equip- 
ped on  20  per  cent  to  25  per  cent  less  fuel.  Loss 
by  condensation  in  the  engine  cylinders,  which 
sometimes  amounts  to  as  much  as  60  per  cent  of 
the  total  water  evaporated  by  the  boiler,  is  elim- 
inated. Since  fuel  must  have  been  burned  to  ob- 
tain steam,  fuel  is  wasted  if  steam  condenses  be- 
fore it  does  its  work  by  expanding  in  the  engine 
cylinders.  Condensation  eliminated,  fuel  is  saved 
and  more  steam  is  available  for  useful  work  in 
the  cylinders. 

In  addition  to  the  direct  saving  there  is  a  de- 
pendent indirect  economy  derived  from  the  use  of 
superheated  steam  as  the  drain  on  the  boiler  is 
reduced.  The  prevention  of  waste  of  steam  has 
the  effect  of  reducing  the  drain  on  the  boiler, 
which  is  equivalent  to  an  increase  in  the  ability 
of  the  boiler  to  furnish  steam  for  useful  work  in 
the  cylinders  of  the  locomotive.  As  the  capacity 
of  the  boiler  limits  the  speed  at  which  a  locomo- 
tive with  a  given  train  may  run,  increased  boiler 
capacity  means  more  speed  with  a  given  train  or 
more  train  for  a  given  speed.  Indirectly,  super- 
heating increases  the  hauling  capacity  of  the  loco- 
motive in  which  it  is  installed  by  25  per  cent  to 
30  per  cent. 

By  virtue  of  the  greater  sustained  hauling  pow- 
er engendered  into  the  locomotive  by  the  applica- 


tion of  the  superheater,  locomotives  outgrown  by 
increasing  weight  of  equipment  and,  consequently, 
assigned  to  inferior  and  lighter  service,  have  been 
found  capable  of  handling  the  heavier  equipment 
in  more  satisfactory  manner  than  they  handled 
the  lighter  equipment  as  saturated  engines.  Ex- 
tended life  of  the  locomotive  in  main  line  service 
or  growth  of  branch  line  traffic  has,  consequently, 
been  taken  care  of  in  many  instances  without 
change  of  power. 

As  the  term  implies,  superheating  consists  of 
adding  heat  to  the  steam  as  it  passes  on  its  way 
from  the  locomotive  boiler  to  the  cylinders.  The 
full  benefit  from  its  use  is  realized  only  when  the 
heat  is  economically  added  and  when  the  temper- 
ature of  the  steam  is  raised  high  enough  to  permit 
its  passage  through  all  the  stages  of  expansion 
without  condensation  in  the  engine  cylinders, 
whether  they  be  simple,  compound,  triple  or  quad- 
luple. 

The  status  of  the  application  of  the  superheat- 
er to  marine  practice  is  the  same  today  as  that 
of  Its  application  to  locomotives  was  a  few  years 
ago.  The  possibilities  for  economy  are  equally 
great,  so  its  use  on  American  built  ships  will  no 
doubt  be  extended  just  as  rapidly.  Steamers  ag- 
gregating more  than  2,000,000  H.  P..  sailing 
from  ports  of  all  parts  of  the  world,  are  already 
equipped  and  some  of  them  may  be  seen  in  port 
in  New  York  Harbor  almost  any  day  of  the 
year. 

In  marine  practice  the  direct  advantage  is,  of 
course,  the  fuel  saved  per  unit  of  power  devel- 
oped. The  indirect  advantage  is  the  increased 
revenue  cargo  space  available  by  a  reduction  of 
10  per  cent  to  20  per  cent  of  coal  taken  for  a 
trip,  and  1 0  per  cent  to  20  per  cent  less  boiler 
capacity  required  in  the  power  plant. 

Finally,  locomotive  superheaters  made  by  this 
company  are  adaptable  to  all  types  and  classes  of 
steam  locomotives  and  may  be  installed  without 
special  machinery  and  without  delay  to  power  be- 
yond the  regular  shipping  period.  Marine  super- 
heaters may  be  installed  in  new  or  existing  steam- 
ers equipped  with  Scotch  Marine  or  Fire  Tube 
boilers  while  building  or  in  port  discharging  or  re- 
ceiving cargo. 

The  offices  of  the  company  are  at  30  Church 
Street,  New  York;  George  L.  Bourne,  President. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


159 


EDWARD  EUGENE  LOOMIS 


Edward  E.  Loomis.  President  of  the  Lehigh 
Valley  Railroad  Co.,  is  one  of  the  city's  con- 
spicuous figures  in  transportation,  coal,  traffic  and 
financiering.  He  was  born  near  Ilion,  N.  Y..  in 
1865,  the  son  of  Chester  and  Esther  Loomis,  and 
after  receiving  a  collegiate  education,  entered  rail- 
road service  in  the  Law  Department  of  the  Denvei 
&  Rio  Grande  Railway  Co.  In  1 894  he  was 
appomted  Superintendent  of  the  Tioga  Division  of 
the  Erie  Railroad,  at  the  same  time  being  Super- 
intendent in  charge  of  the  bituminous  and  lumbci 
interests  of  the  Blossburg  Coal  Co.  In  1898  he 
was  made  General  Superintendent  of  the  New 
\  ork,  Susquehanna  &  Western  Railroad  and  the 
Wilkesbarre  &  Eastern  Railroad.  One  year  later 
he  became  Superintendent  of  the  coal  mining  de- 
partment of  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  &  West- 
ern, and  m  1902  was  made  Manager  of  the  entire 


coal  department  with  charge  of  the  company's 
mining,  shipping  and  sales  of  anthracite  coal.  On 
April  28.  1902,  he  was  elevated  to  the  Vice- 
Presidency  of  the  company,  which  office  he  held 
until  February,  1917,  when  he  was  elected  Presi- 
dent of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  and  its  sub- 
sidiary companies. 

He  is  also  a  Director  of  the  Temple  Iron 
Co.,  Mark  Twain  Co.,  Liberty  National  Bank, 
American  Surety  Co. ;  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Institute  of  Mming  Engmeers,  Metropol- 
itan, Railroad  and  Recess  clubs  of  New  York 
City,  the  Westmoreland  of  Wilkesbarre,  iPa.,  and 
the  Baltusrol  Golf  Club.  Mr.  Loomis  was  mar- 
ried at  Elmira,  New  York,  November  29.  1  902. 
to  Julia  Olivia  Langdon.  His  offices  are  at  143 
Liberty  Street  and  he  resides  at  160  West  59th 
Street. 


160 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


ARTHUR  WEBSTER  THOMPSON 


Arthur  W.  Thompson,  Vice-President  of  the 
Bahimore  &  Ohio  Railroad,  in  charge  of  Traffic 
and  Commercial  Development,  must  be  classed  as 
one  of  the  big  railroad  men  of  the  country.  He 
has  had  an  opportunity  to  study  railroading  as 
few  men  have  been  able  to  do  as  he  has  occupied 
a  wide  range  of  positions  and  started  at  the  very 
bottom  with  the  advantages  of  a  civil  engineering 
training  and  a  broad  vision.  Possessed  of  all  the 
qualities  of  the  successful  American  business  man 
— youth,  vigor,  strength,  an  indomitable  courage, 
a  love  for  hard  work,  ability  to  meet  men  and 
a  mind  quick  to  absorb  the  essentials  of  any  prob 
lem — it  is  no  wonder  that  he  became  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  oldest  and  one  of  the  largest  railways 
in  the  United  States  before  he  was  thirty-seven 
years  of  age. 

Arthur  Webster  Thompson  was  born  on  May 
8,  1875,  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer  from  Allegheny  Col- 
lege at  Meadville  in  1897.  His  first  experience 
in  railroading  was  gained  while  still  a  student  in 
college,  having  served  during  the  summer  as  rod- 
man  on  location  work  for  the  Pittsburgh.  Buffalo 
&  Lake  Erie,  as  well  as  draftsman  in  the  Motive 
Power  Department  shops  at  Meadville,  on  the 
Erie  Railway. 

For  about  a  year  after  his  graduation  Mr. 
Thompson  worked  as  draftsman  for  Wilkins  and 
Davis  at  Pittsburgh,  but  detailed  desk  work  was 
not  to  the  liking  of  this  embryonic  executive  and 


as  summer  opened  up,  the  outdoor,  more  active 
life  called  him  into  field  work  again.  He  became 
instrumentman  for  the  Pittsburgh  &  Lake  Erie 
Railroad,  holding  this  position  until  he  made  good 
with  everybody.  He  then  .sought  a  position  with 
the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  Railroad.  At  that  time 
the  Pittsburgh  &  Lake  Erie  was  a  profitable  road 
while  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio  was  in  the  hands 
of  receivers,  was  run  down  and,  to  an  experienced 
railroad  man,  looked  like  an  almost  hopeless 
proposition.  Young  Thompson,  however,  had  a 
vision  of  a  great  railway  system  arising  out  of  the 
rust  and  chaos  and  resolved  that  his  chances  to 
succeed  were  better  with  a  road  not  loo  well  or- 
ganized. His  vision,  his  courage  and  his  confidence 
compelled  him  to  ignore  all  advice  and  he  took 
charge  of  a  survey  party  on  the  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
Railroad. 

Successively  with  the  same  road  he  has  served 
as  Assistant  Division  Engineer  at  Pittsburgh, 
1900-1  ;  Division  Engineer,  Cumberland.  1901-2; 
Pittsburgh,  1902-3;  Superintendent,  Cumber- 
land, 1903-4;  Wheeling,  1904-7;  Chief  Main- 
tenance of  Way,  1907-10;  Chief  Engineer,  April- 
December  1910;  General  Manager,  1910-12; 
Third  Vice-President  in  charge  of  operation, 
April,  1912;  also  Third  Vice-President.  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  Southwestern,  Cincinnati,  Hamilton 
&  Dayton,  and  Staten  Island  Lines;  Vice-Presi- 
dent in  charge  of  Traffic  and  Commercial  Develop- 
ment, July  I,  1916. 

Mr.  Thompson  was,  therefore.  Superintendent 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


161 


of  one  of  the  most  important  divisions  on  the 
Baltimore  &  Ohio  System  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eighty  Chief  Engineer  Maintenance  of  Way  at  the 
age  of  thirty-two;  Chief  Engineer  at  thirty-four; 
General  Manager  at  thirty-five,  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent in  charge  of  operation  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
six.  No  one  has  ever  dared  predict  for  the  future 
of  this  remarkable  young  railroad  genius,  and  no 
one,  not  even  Mr.  Thompson,  can  be  found  who 
will  venture  a  guess  as  to  his  position  in  the  rail- 
road world  on  May  8,  1925,  when  he  celebrates 
his  fiftieth  birthday. 

This  remarkable  rise,  perhaps  not  surpassed  in 
the  history  of  railroading,  does  not  seem  at  all 
remarkable  to  those  who  know  the  man.  Promo- 
tions have  seemed  a  matter  of  course,  he  always 
being  the  logical  man  for  the  job  higher  up.  Hard 
work,  ability  and  accomplishment  are  the  qualities 
and  conditions  which  have  made  these  rapid  pro- 
motions logical. 

As  Chief  Engineer  he  supervised  the  expenditure 
of  more  than  one  million  dollars  a  month  for  im- 
provements. He  had  charge  of  the  construction 
of  the  Magnolia  cut-off  on  the  Cumberland  Divi- 
sion, costing  six  million  dollars  for  a  little  more 
than  eleven  miles  of  track.  This  work  he  com- 
pleted in  less  than  scheduled  time  and  at  a  cost 
lower  than  the  estimate.  As  Chief  Engineer  Main- 
tenance of  Way  he  rebuilt  the  Susquehanna  Bridge 
and  had  charge  of  important  work  of  eliminating 
tunnels  on  the  Cumberland  Division.  At  this  time 
also  he  set  what  is  perhaps  a  world's  record  in  the 
removal  and  replacement  of  bridges.  In  exactly 
three  and  one  half  minutes  he  removed  the  old 
bridge  across  Chester  Creek  near  Philadelphia 
and  replaced  it  with  a  new  three  hundred  ton 
steel  structure. 

These  remarkable  feats  throw  considerable  light 
on  the  character  of  the  man.  He  works  all  the 
time  as  if  he  hadn't  much  longer  to  live  and  had 
a  lot  to  do.  Most  railroad  men  know  how  to 
work  in  varying  degrees,  but  few  know  how  to 
smile  and  work  and  smile  again.  It  has  been  his 
hard  and  effective  work  that  has  won  Mr.  Thomp- 
son his  promotions,  but  it  has  been  his  smile,  his 
happy  temperament  and  his  optimism  which  have 
made  it  easy  for  his  superiors  to  lead  him  upwards 
to  a  vice-presidency.  He  is  tall  and  hard  and 
tough  and  used  to  work ;  he  smiles  with  his  face 
and  heart  and  uses  all  the  rest  of  himself  to 
work  with. 

Furthermore,  he  uses  everybody  about  him. 
His  vigor  and  enthusiasm  is  radiated  to  all  his 
subordinates.  And  he  has  the  happy  faculty  of 
picking  subordinates  whose  loyalty  can  never  be 
questioned  and  who  work  without  the  fear  of  a 
"brass  collar".  There  is  a  congeniality  between 
the  man  higher  up  and  the  employes  seldom  seen 
to  such  degree  in  the  office  of  big  executives. 

Mr.  Thompson  is,  in  every  sense  of  the  word, 
one  of  President  Willard's  "boys".     Their  asso- 


ciation has  always  been  close  and  Mr.  Willard 
quickly  saw  that  the  younger  man  possessed  some- 
thing of  a  managerial  giant  in  his  make-up.  Mr. 
Willard  was  Assistant  General  Manager  when 
young  Thompson  started  his  career  with  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  and,  in  1910,  when  he  returned  to 
the  road  as  President,  he  found  Mr.  Thompson 
Chief  Engineer  Maintenance  of  Way.  Since  that 
time,  because  Mr.  Willard  likes  a  man  who  works 
and  keeps  his  head,  promotion  has  been  rapid. 
Close  relations  have  grown  closer  until  there  exists 
between  these  two  human  dynamos  an  affection 
seldom  encountered  to  so  strong  a  degree  in  the 
business  world.  Such  strong  personalities  seldom 
work  in  such  close  harmony. 

In  addition  to  his  duties  as  Vice-President, 
Mr.  Thompson  finds  time  to  serve  as  President 
of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  his  Alma  Mater  and 
to  participate  in  the  meetings  of  the  following 
scientific  societies  to  which  he  belongs:  American 
Railway  Association  (Vice-President)  ;  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers;  American  Railway 
Engineering  Association ;  Engineers'  Society  West- 
ern Pennsylvania ;  American  Academy  Political 
and  Social  Science.  Also,  he  is  a  Director  of  the 
National  Bank  of  Commerce  and  of  the  Citizens' 
Company  of  Baltimore,  and  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  and  Director  of  the  Wash- 
ington (D.  C.)  Terminal  Company. 

Mr.  Thompson  has  answered  the  call  of  his 
Government — both  National  and  State — and  is 
serving  as  a  member  of  the  special  Committee  on 
National  Defense  of  the  American  Railway  As- 
sociation, of  which  he  is  now  acting  President. 

This  committee  had  assigned  to  it  the  whole 
problem  of  railway  co-operation  with  the  Govern- 
ment and  of  organizing  the  railroads  into  one 
great  system  for  war.  They  have  co-ordinated 
the  activities  of  262,000  miles  of  railroads  in  the 
United  States  as  a  unified  system.  As  a  member 
of  this  committee  Mr.  Thompson  is  taking  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  co-ordination  of  transportation  and 
industry  and  is  assisting  materially  in  winning 
the  war.  As  an  outgrowth  of  the  work  of  this 
committee  there  was  created,  on  November  26th, 
a  general  operating  committee  in  charge  of  the 
operation  of  all  railroads  east  of  Chicago  and  St. 
Louis  and  north  of  the  Ohio  and  Potomac  Rivers, 
of  which  Mr.  Thompson  was  made  chairman.  By 
virtue  of  this  appointment  he  has  charge  of  the 
unification  and  operation  of  all  eastern  railroads, 
one  of  the  greatest  railroad  tasks  ever  delegated. 

Also,  Mr.  Thompson  has  been  appointed  by  the 
Governor  as  a  member  of  the  Maryland  'Prepar- 
edness and  Survey  Commission. 

While  a  member  of  more  than  half  a  dozen 
clubs,  Mr.  Thompson's  real  enjoyment  in  life 
seems  to  come  from  his  work  in  the  office  or  while 
out  on  line  in  his  official  car.  where  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  sixty  thousand  employes  know  him 
affectionately  as  "A.  W.  T." 


162 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


IKA  A.  PL/V  L. 
Ira  A.  Place,  Vice-President  of  the  New 
York  Central  Railroad  Company,  was  born  May 
8.  1854.  in  New  York  City.  He  graduated 
A.  B.  from  Cornell  University  in  1881  and 
at  once  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the  office 
of  Vann,  McLennan  &  Dillaye,  Syracuse,  N.  \ . 


He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1 883  and 
shortly  afterwards  came  to  New  York  City 
with  the  late  Judge  McLennan,  who  had  been  ap 
pomted  General  Counsel  for  the  New  York, 
West  Shore  &  Buffalo  Railroad  Co.  In  March, 
1886,  he  entered  the  Law  Department  of  the  Nev\' 
York  Central  &  Hudson  River  Railroad  and  in 
1905  was  made  General  Counsel  for  that  com- 
pany's lines  east  of  Buffalo.  One  year  later  he 
was  made  Vice-President  of  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Lines  east  of  Buffalo.  Mr.  Place  is  a  Di- 
rector of  various  railroad  and  other  companies, 
subsidiaries  of  the  New  York  Central  Railroad 
Company.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Association 
of  the  Bar  of  the  City  of  NewYork,  the  New 
York  State  Bar  Association.  American  Bar  As- 
sociation, Trustee  of  Cornell  University,  of  Alfred 
University,  and  of  Hackley  School.  His  clubs  and 
societies  are  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society,  Psi 
Upsilon  Fraternity,  the  University.  Cornell,  St. 
Andrews  Golf,  Fort  Orange  and  Adirondack 
League  Clubs.  He  was  married  in  Ithaca,  N.  Y., 
January  10,  1893.  to  Katharine  B.  Gauntlett. 
His  offices  are  in  the  Grand  Central  Station. 


CLARK  DR  KLRMAN  EA  I  ON 
Having  spent  his  entire  business  career  in  the 
railway  equipment  line,  it  is  only  natural  that  Clark 
D.  Eaton  should  successfully  fill  the  office  of 
Sales  Manager  of  the  American  Car  &  Foundry 
Company,  to  which  position  he  was  appointed  in 
1907.  Mr.  Eaton  is  a  Pennsylvanian.  having 
been  born  at  Chapman's  Quarries,  near  Bethlehem 
in  that  State,  August  12,  1872,  the  son  of  Ralph 
Hurlburt  and  Eliza  Knapp  (Dickerman)  Eaton. 
He  is  descended  from  William  and  Martha  (Jen- 
kins) Eaton  of  Staples,  County  of  Kent,  England, 
who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Watertown, 
Massachusetts,  in  1642,  and  removed  later  to 
Reading,  Mass.  1  heir  descendants  included  Ja- 
cob Eaton,  who  was  born  in  Meredith,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1757,  who  was  surveyor  of  high- 
ways in  that  town  and  served  on  a  committee  to 
draft  war  resolutions,  previous  to  the  outbreak  of 
the  Revolution.  He  was  selected  lo  appoint 
men  for  the  Continental  Army  and  as  a  soldie.' 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  tjok  part  in  thr_ 
siege  of  Fort  Ticonderoga.  Jacob  Eaton,  son  of 
this  patriot  and  soldier,  was  an  mst  uctor  in  the 


Hinesburg  Academy.  Vermont,  and  served  in  the 
American  Army  during  the  war  of  1812.  He 
afterwards  removed  tu  Mount  Pleasant,  Pa., 
where  Ralph  Hurlburt  Eaton,  father  of  Clark  D. 
Eaton,  was  born  in  1 830.  He  was  engaged  in 
mercantile  pursuits  and  upon  his  removal  t)  Ber- 
wick. Pa..  Clark  D.  Eaton  was  enrolled  at  the 
public  schools  there.     He  afterwards  entered  a 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


163 


preparatory  school  at  Bethlehem  and  attended 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  began  his 
business  career  as  an  employee  of  the  Jackson  & 
Woodin  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Berwick, 
who  were  manufacturers  of  railway  equipment  and 
foundry  products.  He  served  three  years  in  va- 
rious departments  of  the  company's  plant,  later  as- 
suming a  clerical  position  and  finally  being  trans- 
ferred to  the  sales  department.  When  the  Jackson 
&  Woodin  interests  were  acquired  by  the  American 
Car  &  Foundry  Company,  Mr.  Eaton  was  made 
Assistant  District  Manager  of  the  Berwick  plant 
and  in  1907  he  was  sent  tD  New  York  City  as 
Sales  Manager.  In  1914  he  was  made  Assistant 
to  the  Vice-President  of  the  company  and  since 
that  time  has  filled  the  dual  positions  with  great 
success.  Mr.  Eaton  is  a  Director  of  the  Ameri- 
can Car  &  Foundry  Export  Company,  the  Union 
Lumber  Manufacturing  Company  of  Cumberland, 
Maryland,  and  Vice-President  of  the  Sligo  & 
Eastern  Railroad,  St.  Louis.  He  has  served  as 
special  Automobile  Inspector  of  the  State  of 
New  Jersey  and  as  a  member  of  the  New  Asy- 
lum. Commission  of  that  State.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  executive  committee  of  the  Railway 
Supply  Manufacturers'  Association,  the  Union 
League,  Traffic,  New  York  Athletic,  New 
York  Railroad  Clubs,  the  Pennsylvania  Society 
and  the  American  Iron  &  Steel  Institute,  all  of 
New  York  City,  the  Essex  Country  Club,  the 
South  Orange  Field  Club  of  New  Jersey  and  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Associations  of  Berwick, 
Pa.,  and  East  Orange,  N.  J.  He  was  married 
to  Alice  Leona  McAnall,  June  25.  1898.  the 
union  bringing  two  children.  Frederick  Heber 
and  Jack  McAnall  Eaton. 


Broadway  of  One  Hundred  Years  Ago 


PATRICK  E.  CROWLEY 
Patrick  E.  Crowley,  Vice-President  in  charge 
of  operation  of  the  New  York  Central  and  the  Ot- 
tawa and  New  York  line,  has  passed  his  entire  busi- 
ness life  in  the  railway  service.  He  was  born  in 
Cattaraugus,  N.  Y.,  August,  1 864,  and  began 
work  with  the  Erie  Railroad  in  1 878  as  a  mes- 
senger. 

He  was  successive- 
ly Operator,  Station 
Agent  and  Train 
Dispatcher  for  that 
road  and  in  1 890 
was  made  Train  Dis- 
patcher of  the  Rome. 
Watertown  and  Og- 
densburg  Division  of 
the  New  York  Cen- 
tral and  Hudson 
River  Railroad.  In 
1 89 1  he  became 
Chief  Dispatcher  and 
the  same  year  was 
made  Train  Master. 
In  1  900  he  was  ap- 
pointed Chief  Train 
Master  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Division  and  in  1901,  Superintendent. 
In  1904  he  was  advanced  to  Assistant  Gen- 
eral Superintendent,  which  was  followed  by  his 
appointment  as  Assistant  General  Manager.  He 
was  made  General  Superintendent  in  1907  and 
then  became  General  Manager.  He  was  ap- 
pointed to  his  present  position  in  September. 
1916. 


Broadway  of  Today 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


165 


GEORGE  POMEROY  BARTHOLOMEW 
George  P.  Bartholomew,  mining  engineer,  was 
born  in  Pottsville,  Pa.,  March  12.  1874.  He 
graduated  from  Lehigh  University  in  1 896,  with 
the  degree  of  B.  Sc.  in  mining  and  metallurgy 
and  then  entered  the  employ  of  the  Lehigh  Valley 
Coal  Co.  at  Hazleton,  Pa.     From  there  he  went 


lo  South  Africa  as  Engineer  with  the  Rand  mines 
and  upon  returning  to  this  country  became  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Rochester  &  Pittsburgh  Coal  and 
Iron  Co.,  and  allied  interests.  He  was  later  Mining 
Engineer  of  the  E.  I.  Du  Pont  de  Nemours  Pow- 
der Co.,  but  resigned  to  take  up  private  practice 
and  during  this  period  he  was  associated  with  Eli 
T.  Conner  in  the  examination  of  D,  &  H.  Rail- 
road properties  and  as  a  Consultant  for  the  Penn- 
sylvania Coal  &  Coke  Co.  In  1912  he  became 
a  member  of  the  Guggenheim  forces  as  Assistant 
Consulting  Mining  Engineer  for  Guggenheim 
Brothers,  the  Braden  Copper  Co.  and  the  Chile 
Exploration  Co.  and  at  present  time  is  General 
Manager  of  the  Coal  Mining  Department  of  the 
Smelting  &  Refining  Co.  Mr.  Bartholomew  was 
married  in  1913  to  Marjorie  Lovejoy,  of  Minne- 
apolis, and  they  have  three  children,  Stephen, 
George  Pomeroy,  Jr..  and  John  Lorin.  He  is  a 
Spanish-American  War  Veteran,  having  served  as 
a  member  of  Battery  A,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
holds  membership  in  the  American  Institute  of  Min- 
ing Engineers,  the  Engineers'  Club,  The  Mining 
and  Metallurgical  Society  and  the  Essex  Fells 
Country  Club,  of  Essex  Fells,  N.  J.,  where  he 
resides.    His  office  is  at  120  Broadway. 


RICHARD  M.  ATWATER,  JR. 

Richard  M.  Atwater,  Jr.,  mining  engineer,  was 
born  m  Millville,  N.  J.,  May  16,  1873.  His 
education  was  obtained  at  the  William  Penn 
Charter  School,  Phil- 
adelphia, the  Rox- 
b  u  r  y  Latin-School, 
Roxbury,  Mass.,  and 
the  Imperial  School 
of  Technology, 
Charlottenburg,  Ber- 
lin, where  he  grad- 
uated. May,  1894, 
with  the  degree  of 
Engineer  in  Metal- 
lurgy. From  that 
time  until  1912  he 
followed  the  profes- 
sion of  mining  and 
metallurgy  i  n  Eu- 
rope, South  Africa, 

Australia,  India  and   

North   and  South 

America.  Since  1912  he  has  been  with  Laden- 
burg,  Thalmann  &  Co.,  bankers,  of  23  Broad 
Street,  New  York.  He  is  the  son  of  Richard 
Mead  and  Abby  (Greene)  Atwater,  of  Pra\'i- 
dence,  R.  I.,  and  was  married  in  1894  to  Jane 
E.  Brewer,  daughter  of  Rt.  Rev.  L.  R.  Brewer, 
Bishop  of  Montana.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  and  the 
N.  Y.  .Athletic.  Midday.  Scarsdale  Golf  and 
Chemists'  Clubs  of  New  York  City. 


if 


W.  S.  BARSTOW 
W.  S.  Barstow,  (President  of  W.  S.  Barstow 
&  Co..  Inc..  and  numerous  public  utility  properties, 
is  oie  of  the  pioneers  of  the  electric  industry.  On 
his  graduation  from 
Columbia  University 
in  1887.  Mr.  Bar- 
stow engaged  in  un- 
derground and  cen- 
tral station  construc- 
tion in  New  York 
and  other  places.  He 
had  charge  of  the 
construction  of  the 
initial  plant  of  the 
Brooklyn  Edison 
Company,  beginning 
in  1 889,  and  re- 
mained until  1901. 
advancing  rapidly  to 
the  position  of  Gen- 
eral Manager. 

In    190  1  Mr. 
Barstow  resigned  to  take  up  practice  as  a  Con- 
sulting Engineer  for  several  leading  banking  in- 


166 


NEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


terosls,  and  in  1906  lormed  the  coipoi  alioii 
which  bears  his  name.  This  company  has  been 
very  successful  in  construction  and  consulting  en- 
gineering and  in  the  financing  and  operation 
of  public  utility  properties  in  various  parts  of 
the  country.  Its  offices  are  at  50  Pine  Street, 
New  York. 


DONN  BARBER 
Donn   Barber,   whose  skill   as  an   architect  is 
shown     in    many     imposing    buildings  through- 
out   the    country,    was    born    in  Washington, 


D.  C.  October  19,  1871.  After  graduatmg. 
Ph.  B..  from  Yale  University  in  1893.  he  took 
a  special  course  at  Columbia  University  and  finished 
his  studies  at  the  Ecole  des  Beaux  Arts,  Paris. 
He  was  awarded  a  diploma  and  nine  medals  for 
meritorious  work  in  design,  by  the  French  Govern- 
ment. After  association  with  some  of  the  leading 
architects  of  the  city,  Mr.  Barber  began  practice 
alone  and  is  now  located  at  101  Park  Avenue. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Societe  des  Architectes  Dip- 
lomas par  le  Gouvernement,  Paris,  the  American 
Institute  of  Architects,  Architectural  League  of 
New  York,  "Society  of  Beaux  Arts  Architects", 
National  Sculpture  Society  and  the  Union,  Uni- 
versity, Players,  City,  Amateur  Comedy,  Ameri- 
can Yacht,  Apawamis,  Westchester  County  Hunt, 
Green  Meadow  Country  Club  and  the  Knollwood 
Coaintry  Club. 


J.  LEONARD  REPLOGLE 
J.  Leonard  Replogle,  Director  of  Steel  Supply 
of  the  War  Industries  Board,  President  of  the 
American  Vanadium  Co.  and  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  the  Wharton  Steel  Co.,  was  born  in 
Bedford  County.  Pa.,  May  6,  1876,  the  son  of 
Rhinehart  Z.  and  Mary  Ann  (Furry)  Replogle, 
the  father  being  descended  from  Rhinehart  Replo- 
gle, who  came  to  this  country  from  eastern  France 
about  1  750  and  settled  in  Pennsylvania.  The 
family  removed  to  Johnstown  in  1 885  and  J. 
Leonard  Replogle  attended  the  schools  there  until 
he  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  the  family 
home  and  possessions  were  lost  in  the  flood  of 
May  31.  1889,  and  he  was  compelled  to  go  to 
work  and  became  an  office  boy  for  the  Cam- 
bria Iron  Co.  Later  he  was  transferred  to 
the  F^rge  Axle  and  Bolt  Department  and  became 
successively  shipper,  timekeeper.  Assistant  Super- 
mtendent  and  finally  Superintendent,  inventing  in 
the  meantime  a  thread  rolling  machine  that  is  still 
in  use,  not  only  in  the  shops  of  the  Cambria  Steel 
Co.  but  in  many  other  large  bolt  shops  of  the 
country.  About  this  time  the  railroads  inquired 
lor  something  better  than  iron  axles,  which  were 
then  in  general  use.  The  Cambria  Iron  Co.  had 
been  experimenting  with  steel  axles,  but  had  not 
found  them  entirely  satisfactory  until  it  developed 
a  special  heat-treatment  known  as  the  Coffin  Proc- 
ess, to  which  all  axles  were  subjected.  In  an 
educational  campaign  to  show  the  merits  of  these 
heat-treated  steel  axles,  Mr.  Replogle  read  several 
papers  before  the  various  technical  societies  af- 
filiated with  the  steam  and  electric  roads,  at  the 
same  time  visiting  practically  every  railroad  shop 
in  the  United  States.  His  success  in  introducing 
Coffin  Toughened  Axles  as  standard  on  many  of 
the  large  railroads,  and  the  efficiency  with  which 
he  superintended  the  Forge,  Axle  and  Forge  De- 
partment, attracted  the  attention  of  Charles  S. 
Price,  then  General  Manager  and  afterwards 
President  of  the  Cambria  Steel  Co.,  and  promotion 
came  rapidly.  He  was  first  made  Superintendent 
of  the  Order  Department,  then  Assistant  to  the 
General  Manager  and  later  Assistant  to  the  Presi- 
dent. In  the  early  part  of  1912  Mr.  Price  wat 
granted  leave  of  absence  on  account  of  ill  health, 
and  for  a  time  thereafter  Mr.  Replogle  directed 
the  entire  operations  of  the  Cambria  Steel  Co.  So 
satisfactory  was  his  administration  of  affairs  that 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


167 


J.  Leonard  Replogle 


in  the  reorganization  following  the  final  retirement 
of  Mr.  Price,  Mr.  Replogle  was  made  Vice-Presi- 
dent and  General  Manager  of  Sales,  removing  to 
Philadelphia,  where  the  general  offices  of  the  com- 
pany were  located.  While  most  of  his  experience 
was  in  the  producing  and  operating  departments, 
where  he  made  a  splendid  record,  it  was  as  Gen- 
eral Manager  of  Sales  that  his  executive  talent 
was  most  apparent,  for  to  his  administration  of  this 
department  must  be  largely  credited  the  fact  that 
durmg  this  period  the  Cambria  Steel  Co.  enjoyed 
the  biggest  earnings  in  its  history.     On  March  1 , 


1915,  Mr.  Replogle  resigned  to  become  Vice- 
President  and  General  Manager  of  Sales  of  the 
American  Vanadium  Co.,  with  offices  in  New  York 
City.  In  March,  1916.  he  was  elected  President 
of  the  American  Vanadium  Co.  In  October  of 
the  same  year  he  organized  a  syndicate  which 
bought  the  large  holdings  of  the  Pennsylvania 
Railroad  in  the  Cambria  Steel  Co.,  and  in  No- 
vember was  made  a  Director  and  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  that  corporation.  About 
this  time  efforts  were  being  made  to  merge  several 
of  the  larger  independent  steel  companies  into  a 


168 


NEW    YORK  -OLD    AND  NEW 


$200,000,000  corporation  and  Mr.  Replogle  ua,- 
asked  to  assist  in  the  plan,  which  was  to  include 
such  important  plants  as  the  Cambria  Steel  Co., 
the  Lackawanna  Steel  Co.,  the  Youngstown  Sheet 
and  Tube  Co.,  and  the  Inland  Steel  Co.  Negotia- 
tions progressed  for  several  weeks  but  were  ulti- 
mately discontinued.  In  the  meantime,  however, 
the  syndicate,  which  had  been  organized  by  Mr. 
Replogle,  had  secured  virtual  control  of  the  Cam- 
bria Steel  Co.  When,  therefore,  the  proposed 
merger  was  abandoned,  Mr.  Replogle  and  his  as- 
sociates arranged  to  sell  control  of  the  company 
to  the  Midvale  Steel  and  Ordnance  Co.,  and  this 
was  consummated  February  5,  1915.  In  January, 
1917,  Mr.  Replogle  purchased  the  Wharton  Steel 
Company's  furnaces,  railroad  and  mines  at  Whar- 
ton, N.  J.,  which  had  been  idle  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  with  his  associates  immediately  placed 
same  in  operation.  When  the  Council  of  National 
Defense  was  formed,  Mr.  Replogle  was  asked  to 
act  as  Steel  Adviser  to  the  Purchasing  Committee 
and  upon  the  formation  of  the  War  Industries 
Board  his  services  and  expert  knowledge  were 
sought  by  both  the  Purchasing  and  Priority  Com- 
mittees of  this  Board.  At  great  personal  sacrifice. 
Mr.  Replogle  accepted  these  responsibilities  and 
on  November  5th,  1917,  he  was  appointed  Di- 
rector of  Steel  Supply  and  made  responsible  for 
the  distribution  and  execution  of  all  orders  for 
iron  and  steel  for  the  United  States  and  Allied 
Governments,  with  headquarters  in  Washington. 

Aside  from  the  native  ability  by  which  he 
rose  to  the  ranks  of  America's  self-made  men, 
Mr.  Replogle's  predominant  characteristic  is  an 
abounding  enthusiasm  and  a  kindliness  of  spirit 
that  has  endeared  him  to  all  with  whom  he  has 
been  associated.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Johns- 
town Country  Club,  the  Sea  View  Golf  Club,  of 
Atlantic  City,  the  M  erion  Cricket  Club,  of  Phila- 
delphia, the  Duquesne  Club,  of  Pittsburgh,  the 
Bankers'  Club.  the  Railroad  Club  and  India 
House  of  New  York  City.  Lido  Country  Club, 
New  York.  Metropolitan  Club.  Washington. 
D.  C.  Travelers'  Club.  Paris,  France,  and  the 
American  Iron  and  Steel  Institute  and  a  Director 
of  Wabash  Railway  Company.  He  was  married 
January  10,  1905.  to  Blanche  Kenly  McMillen. 
granddaughter  of  James  McMillen.  of  Johnstown, 
Pa.,  resident  director  of  the  Cambria  Iron  Co. 

The  American  Vanadium  Co..  of  which  J. 
Leonard  Replogle  is  President  and  General  Man- 
ager of  Sales,  occupies  a  unique  position  in  the 
development  of  the  steel  industry  of  the  country. 
1  he  rapid  increase  in  alloy  steels  produced  may 
be  ascribed  to  the  commercialization  of  vanadium. 
In  a  table  published  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago, 
vanadium  in  crystal  form,  fused,  was  shown  to  be 
the  rarest  metal  in  existence,  being  valued  in  gold 


at  $4,792.40  a  pound  avoirdupois,  or  twenty  timet 
that  of  gold.  The  discovery  of  large  deposits  of 
the  metal  in  Peru,  brought  a  sweeping  reduction 
in  the  price  and  made  it  available  as  an  alloy 
for  improving  the  quality  of  steel  and  transformed 
it  from  a  semi-rare  metal  of  prohibitive  cost,  to 
one  commercially  available  for  steel  making  in 
practically  unlimited  quantities. 

In  1  896  the  first  practical  use  of  vanadium  in 
steel  is  recorded.  In  this  year  three  armor  plates 
were  made  in  France  and  striking  superiority  was 
shown  over  plates  made  without  vanadium.  The 
next  few  years  brought  no  additional  use  of  this 
useful  metal  as  there  was  no  adequate  supply  in 
sight.  In  I  900  Prof.  Arnold,  of  Sheffield,  made 
a  series  of  tests  to  investigate  the  effect  of  vanadium 
on  steel.  He  found  that  the  introduction  of  vana- 
dium produced  a  remarkable  increase  in  elastic 
limit  combined  with  greater  ductility.  Chrome 
steel  with  vanadium,  in  particular,  also  showed  re- 
markable dynamic  strength.  The  vast  deposits  in 
the  Peruvian  Andes  owned  by  the  American 
Vanadium  Co.  have  placed  this  semi-rare  metal 
within  the  reach  of  commercial  manufacture.  The 
mines  are  located  32  miles  distant  from  the  cop- 
per mining  town  of  Cerro  de  Pasco  and  are  al- 
most at  the  very  summit  of  the  Peruvian  Andes, 
1 6,200  feet  above  the  sea  level.  The  site  prob- 
ably IS  the  highest  in  the  world  where  industrial 
operations  are  being  carried  on.  On  account  of 
the  isolation  of  the  mines  and  their  almost  com- 
plete inaccessibility,  llamas,  which  are  sturdy  and 
sure  footed,  bring  the  ore  down  the  steep  and 
rocky  paths  to  Lake  Pun  Ruyn,  whence  it  is  car- 
ried by  boat  to  the  Peru  Central  Railroad,  28 
miles  from  the  mines.  The  ore  is  carried  to  sea- 
board and  then  shipped  to  the  plant  of  the  Amer- 
ican Vanadium  Co.,  Bridgeville,  Pa.,  where  it  is 
converted  into  ferro-vanadium,  the  commercial 
product.  Vanadium  is  used  in  high  speed  tool 
steel  and  all  steel  wherever  great  increase  in 
strength  and  endurance  is  desired.  It  is  used  in 
locomotive  construction,  automobiles,  submarines 
and  aeroplanes,  in  the  famous  42-inch  centimeter 
howitzers  of  the  German  Army,  for  armor  plate, 
in  the  shields  for  armored  motor  cars  and  in  aero- 
gun construction.  The  officers  of  the  Vanadium 
Company  of  America  are:  Chairman,  James  J. 
Flannery;  President  and  General  Manager  of 
Sales,  J.  Leonard  Replogle;  Vice-President,  E. 
E.  Fernandini.  who  is  in  charge  of  the  mines  in 
Peru;  Vice-President,  J.  C.  Gray;  Secretary 
and  Assistant  Treasurer,  C.  B.  Aylesworth;  Treas- 
urer, H.  A.  Neeb.  The  Directors  are:  P.  J. 
Barry,  J.  Rogers  Flannery,  G.  H.  Gerding,  G. 
H.  B.  Martin,  James  J.  Flannery,  E.  E.  Fer- 
nandini. J.  C.  Gray.  J.  Leonard  Replogle.  C.  B. 
Aylesworth  and  H.  A.  Neeb.  The  company's 
offices  are  at  120  Broadway.  New  York  City. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


169 


POPE  YEATMAN 


Pope  Yeatman,  whose  reputation  as  a  mining 
engineer  is  international  and  whose  activities  have 
been  directed  to  the  development  of  some  of  the 
best  ore  producing  fields  in  the  United  States. 
Chile,  South  Africa  and  Mexico,  was  born  in 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  August  3.  1861,  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Lucretia  (Pope)  Yeatman.  His 
paternal  ancestors  were  English  and  Scotch-Irish 
and  the  maternal  progenitors  English.  After  at- 
tending educational  institutions  in  St.  Louis,  New 
Haven,  Conn.,  and  Ft.  Leavenworth,  he  entered 
Washington  University,  St.  Louis,  from  which  he 
graduated  in  1 883,  with  the  degree  of  Mining 
Engineer.  He  began  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion immediately  after  leaving  college  and  for  one 
year  and  a  half  was  employed  by  the  St.  Gene- 
vieve Copper  Co.,  of  Missouri.  He  severed  his 
connection  w  ith  this  company  in  1 885  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  at  Gage,  New  Mexico.  The 
latter  part  of  the  same  year  and  the  early  part 
of  1  886  found  him  pursuing  the  same  line  in  the 
State  of  Sonora,  Mexico,  and  a  few  months  later 
he  became  connected  with  the  Zacatecas  Mines  of 
Mexico.  From  December,  1887,  until  August, 
I  888,  he  was  engaged  in  private  consulting  work 
and  at  the  same  time  acted  as  Manager  of  the 
Jumbo  Gold  Mining  Co.,  at  Breckenridge,  Colo- 
rado. He  was  then  made  Superintendent  in 
charge  of  mining,  smelting  and  concentrating  at 
the  Doe  Run  Mines  and  in  August,  1891,  became 
Superintendent  of  the  Empire  Zinc  Co.,  of  Joplin, 
Mo.  In  June,  1 893,  he  again  returned  to  pri- 
vate practice  and  in  I  895  began  his  long  associa- 
tion with  South  African  mining  affairs,  a  period 
of  his  career  which  gave  him  the  opportunity  of 
proving  his  ability  as  one  of, the  most  capable  min- 
ing experts  of  the  world.  It  would  be  impossible 
to  fully  record  his  achievements  in  the  South 
African  fields  but  the  companies  with  which  he 
was  associated  and  the  positions  he  occupied  are 
an  assurance  that  his  rating  was  the  highest  in 
his  line,  as  the  capitalists  engaged  in  the  develop- 
ment of  that  far-away  country  spared  no  expense 
in  securing  the  services  of  the  best  mining  engi- 
neers obtainable.  Mr.  Yeatman  made  his  head- 
quarters at  Johannesburg  and  became  one  of  the 
engineers  of  the  Consolidated  Gold  Fields  of 
South  Africa,  Ltd.,  and  Manager  of  the  Robin- 
son Deep  Gold  Mining  Co.  In  1 899  he  was 
appointed  General  Manager  of  the  Simmer  and 


Jack  Proprietary  Gold  Mining  Co.,  Ltd.,  and 
from  November,  1899,  until  July,  1904.  he  was 
General  Manager  and  Consulting  Engineer  of  the 
Randfontein  Estates  Gold  Mining  Co..  Ltd.,  of 
the  Transvaal.  Severing  his  connection  with  this 
company  he  again  took  up  private  consultation 
work,  which  he  continued  until  he  became  asso- 
ciated with  the  Guggenheim  interests  in  June, 
1 906.    He  was  Consulting  Engineer  of  the  M. 


Guggenheim's  Sons  Co.,  the  Guggenheim  Explora- 
tion Co.,  the  Nevada  Consolidated  Copper  Co.,  the 
Steptoe  Valley  Smelting  &  Mining  Co.,  the  Cum- 
berland-Ely Copper  Co.,  the  Esperanza  Gold  Min- 
ing Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Mexico,  the  Braden  Copper  Co. 
of  Chile  and  the  Chile  Exploration  Co.  Mr.  Yeat- 
man severed  his  connection  with  the  Guggenheim 
interests  September  1,  1916,  and  is  now  in  inde- 
pendent consulting  practice  at  1  I  I  Broadway.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of  Mining 
Engineers,  American  Association  of  Civil  Engineers, 
Engineers'  Society  of  St.  Louis,  Institute  of  Min- 
ing and  Metallurgy  of  London.  England,  Trans- 
vaal Institute  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  Chemical, 
Metallurgical  and  Mining  Society  of  South 
Africa,  the  Century  Association  and  the  Engi- 
neers' and  Rocky  Mountain  clubs  of  New  York 
City.  He  was  married  in  I  894  to  Georgie  Clai- 
borne Watkins  and  they  have  three  children.  Jane 
Bell,  Georgians  Pope,  and  Pope  Yeatman.  Jr. 


170 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


171 


ARTHUR  CHESTER  DAVIDSON 


An  inherent  ability  to  determine  almost  instant- 
ly the  quality  of  steel  used  by  various  mterests 
has  made  the  services  of  Arthur  C.  Davidson  in 
great  demand  by  large  companies  on  special 
emergencies  in  canstruction  and  designing  of  ma- 
terial. Mr.  Davidson  was  born  in  New  York 
City,  November  14,  1881,  and  after  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Brooklyn,  New  York 
and  Pittsburgh,  served  an  apprenticeship  to  the 
tool-making  and  machinists'  trade.  He  then  stud- 
ied under  different  instructors  in  metallurgy  as  ap- 
plied to  iron  and  steel  melting  and  refining.  It 
was  at  this  period  that  Mr.  Davidson  discovered 
that  he  possessed  the  mental  power  or  inherent 
judgment  to  determine  the  quality  of  steel  needed 
by  users  of  his  productions.  1  his  varies  con- 
stantly and  he  can  determine  almost  in  a  moment 
the  necessary  component  to  produce  the  class  of 
metal  needed.  This  remarkable  trait  or  process 
is  a  mental  power,  differing  from  the  laborious 
system  of  calculations  and  experiments  used  by 
analytical  or  chemical  experts  in  determining  the 
texture,  tensile  strength  and  heat  resistance  required 
in  the  many  branches  of  the  steel  trade.  It  is 
known  to  be  possessed  by  but  two  other  mechan- 
ical engineers  and  these  are  not  endowed  with  this 
trait  to  the  same  degree  as  Mr.  Davidson,  whose 
ability  along  his  line,  while  mystifying,  has  brought 
him  a  nation-wide  reputation.  His  judgment  is 
instantaneous  and  almost  invariably  correct,  for 
the  records  would  indicate  that  in  thousands  of 
cases  there  is  practically  no  variation.  He  is  to  a 
degree  an  efficiency  expert  in  his  own  line  and  is 


constantly  called  upon  for  consultation  and  advice. 
Mr.  Davidson  is  President  and  1  reasurer  of  the 
Fairley-Davidson  Steel  Company,  Inc.,  and  the 
Davidson  Steel  and  Forging  Corporation,  who  are 
specialists  in  high  efficiency  steels  such  as  high  tor- 
sional strengths,  high  resistance  when  subjected  to 
heat,  and  high  cutting  efficiency.  The  Canadian 
Utilities  Steel  and  Engineering,  Ltd.,  of  Montreal 
is  Mr.  Davidson's  Canadian  branch.  All  of  Mr. 
Davidson's  work  in  connection  with  his  various  in- 
terests is  as  a  most  practical  expert  on  consistent 
specification  on  steel  required  for  different  work. 
To  the  lay  mind  Mr.  Davidson's  power  seems 
marvelous  and  this  is  not  strange  when  experts  in 
the  trade  concede  that  he  possesses  a  gift  that 
only  very  few  have.  By  Mr.  Davidson's  method 
a  decision  can  be  reached  in  a  few  minutes,  almost 
invariably  more  conclusive  and  correct  than  that 
made  by  the  slow  and  costly  experiments  trying 
out  diflerent  steels  of  varying  analyses,  and  that  is 
why  his  services  are  in  demand.  Time  is  a  great 
factor  in  all  construction  work  and  slow  processes 
are  gradually  being  discarded.  Mr.  Davidson 
visits  Europe  each  year  and  has  acquired  a 
familiar  knowledge  of  basic  steel  construction  be- 
yond the  Atlantic.  He  married  Ethel  Raymond 
and  has  two  children,  George  Dayton  and  AJberta 
C.  Davidson.  His  business  address  is  122  Maiden 
Lane,  and  he  resides  at  Avenue  K  and  East  I  7th 
Street,  Flatbush,  Brooklyn.  He  is  very  fond  of 
outdoor  life  and  makes  frequent  automobile  trips 
to  the  various  points  of  interest  contiguous  to  New 
York. 


172 


XEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


LIBERTY  STEEL  PRODUCTS  COMPANY,  INC. 


The  rapidly  increasing  demand  for  steel  prod- 
ucts, machinery  and  material  for  structural,  sihip- 
building  and  railway  purposes  in  this  country  and 
abroad  has  made  that  industry  one  of  the  most 
prolific  in  the  industrial  history  of  America.  All 
the  steel  mills  in  the  United  States  are  running  at 
capacity  and  the  combined  output  of  all  these 
vast  plants  is  hardly  sufficient  to  supply  the  wants 
of  the  multitude  of  users  of  this  most  important 
product.  Realizing  the  vast  possibilities  in  the 
business,  Charles  J.  Graham,  an  experienced  steel 
man  of  Pittsburgh,  came  to  New  York  and  or- 
ganized in  May,  1917,  the  Liberty  Steel  Products 
Company,  Inc.,  with  offices  in  the  Woolworth 
Building.  Mr.  Graham's  object  in  picking  out 
this  city  as  the  headquarters  of  the  new  corporation 
was  to  be  in  the  field  most  convenient  to  the  world 
purchaser  and  that  his  judgment  was  correct  is 
proven  by  the  immediate  success  of  the  new  com- 
pany, whose  first  recognition  was  the  appointment 
as  purchasing  agent  for  the  Foundation  Company, 
of  New  York,  one  of  the  most  important  con- 
cerns engaged  in  that  line  in  the  city.  The  com- 
pany has  also  purchased  all  the  material  for  40 
ships  now  being  built  by  the  French  Government 
in  the  yards  at  Portland,  Oregon,  and  Tacoma, 
Washington.  I  his  is  one  of  the  largest  foreign 
ship  orders  ever  placed  in  the  United  States. 
The  company  is  thoroughly  equipped  for  the  han- 
dling of  all  ship  material  and  for  construction  work 
of  every  kind.  A  subsidiary  company  has  recent- 
ly been  organized  in  Paris,  France,  under  the 
name  of  the  Societe  Centrale  Industrielle,  which  is 
composed  of  some  of  the  leading  business  men  in 
that  country.     It  will  handle  the  American  com- 


pany's affairs  in  France,  Spain  and  Belgium. 
Arrangements  have  also  been  made  with  Henry 
Coe,  formerly  of  the  firm  of  Coe  &  Clerci,  to 
open  a  branch  office  in  Rome  to  look  after  the 
business  in  Italy,  the  Balkan  States,  Greece  and 
Switzerland.  The  company  is  also  negotiating  for 
offices  in  Bombay,  India,  Rio  Janeiro,  and  Shang- 
hai, China.  When  these  various  offices  get  under 
full  way  they  will  give  the  Liberty  Steel  Products 
Company,  Inc.,  one  of  the  most  powerful  export 
organizations  in  the  world  and  will  enable  it  suc- 
cessfully to  compete  with  any  similar  concern  doing 
business  with  foreign  countries.  The  Liberty  Steel 
Products  Company,  Inc.,  has  close  manufacturing 
affiliations  and  its  board  of  directors  includes 
some  of  the  best  known  steel  men  in  the  United 
States. 

Mr.  Graham  is  President  of  the  company, 
with  Frank  J.  Lanahan,  Vice-President;  J.  Rog- 
ers Flannery,  Treasurer,  and  F.  G.  Buerk,  Secre- 
tary. The  con>pany  has  adopted  the  business 
maxim  of  "Liberty  Service"  which  is  an  assurance 
of  quick  delivery  and  the  lowest  possible  cost. 
Mr.  Graham  gives  his  personal  attention  to  the 
business  and  his  wide  experience  is  at  the  disposal 
of  all  purchasers  of  steel  products,  to  whom  it 
should  be  of  inestimable  value.  Beginning  with 
a  small  clerical  force,  the  company  now  employs 
a  large  staff  made  necessary  by  the  rapidly  in- 
creasing local  and  export  trade.  Expansion  is 
Mr.  Graham's  watchword  and  he  is  bending  every 
energy  to  make  the  Liberty  Steel  Products  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  one  of  the  city's  leading  commercial 
corporations.  This  he  will  unquestionably  do  as 
the  present  outlook  is  most  flattering. 


^ElV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


173 


174 


NEW    YORK- OLD    AND  NEW 


CHARLES  J.  GRAHAM 


One  of  New  York's  recent  acquisitions  from  that 
group  of  Pittsburghers  who  after  unprecedented 
success  in  the  Western  steel  territory  have  trans- 
ferred their  activities  to  this  city  is  Charles  J. 
Graham,  President  of  the  recently  organized  Lib- 
erty Steel  Products  Company,  Inc.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham is  but  thirty-eight  years  old  and  is  aggressive 
and  alert,  two  necessary  requirements  to  success 
in  his  line  of  endeavor,  where  competition  is 
keen  and  only  the  fittest  survive.  For  twenty-one 
years  he  has  been  associated  with  industrial 
propositions,  each  succeeding  year  increasing  his 
interests  and  acquiring  the  experience  that  ably 
fits  him  for  his  present  responsible  positions. 

Mr.  Graham  was  born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
March  13,  1878,  and  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  city  and  at  the  Pittsburgh 
Academy.  Upon  his  graduation  in  1 894  he  se- 
cured a  clerkship  with  the  Tide  Coal  Company, 
which  he  retained  until  1 896,  when  he  entered 
the  employ  of  John  Charles  &  Co.,  nut  manu- 
facturers. His  success  with  this  company  was  so 
great  that  he  secured  an  interest  in  the  plant  and 
in  1 900  the  operating  name  of  the  concern  be- 
came the  Graham  Nut  Company,  of  whi:h  he 
was  the  Secretary  and  a  Director  from  I  903  until 
1915,  when  he  was  made  Vice-President.  Jn 
1916  he  %\as  a  member  of  the  Replogle  Syn- 
dicate in  the  Cambria  Steel  deal  in  which  the  large 
holdings  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company 
in  the  Cambria  Steel  Company  were  purchased. 
It  was  some  time  before  full  control  was  se- 
cured and  this  was  finally  sold  to  the  Midvale 
Steel  and  Ordnance  Company,  the  syndicate  real- 


izing a  handsome  profit  on  the  transactioi:.  He  is 
also  President  of  the  Charles  J.  Graham  Co.,  Inc.. 
of  New  York  City;  Vice-President  and  Directoi 
of  the  Davis  Brake  Beam  Co.,  of  Johnstown,  Pa., 
Treasurer  and  Director  of  the  Pittsburgh  Export 
Company;  a  Director  of  the  Illinois  Car  and 
Manufacturing  Company  of  Chicago,  111.,  the 
Steel  Car  Company  of  Cleveland.  Ohio;  the  Car- 
bo-Hydrogen  Company  of  America,  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh-Jerome Copper  Company  of  Pittsburgh. 
When  the  Liberty  Steel  Products  Company,  Inc., 
was  organized  he  became  its  President  and  his  fit- 
ness for  the  position  is  shown  by  his  activity  in  it:' 
affairs  which  has  already  brought  a  large  volume 
of  trade.  Mr.  Graham  is  deeply  interested  in 
club  life  and  philanthropic  work.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  ?he  Duquesne  Club,  Union  Club,  University 
Club,  Railway  Club,  Automobile  Club,  Field 
Club,  Oakmonl  Country  Club,  and  a  Director 
of  the  Pittsburgh  Country  Club  and  the  Pittsburgh 
Athletic  Association.  He  also  holds  membership 
in  the  Chicago  Athletic  Association,  Missouri  Ath- 
letic Association,  Hermit  Club  of  Cleveland,  Ben 
Lomond  Golf  Club  of  Sagamore,  Mass.,  the 
Seaview  Golf  Club  of  Atlantic  City,  and  the  Old 
Colony  Club.  Since  becoming  a  resident  of  New- 
York  City  he  has  become  a  membei  of  the  Lambs 
Club,  Bankers'  Club  and  the  Press  Club.  Mr. 
Graham's  charitable  and  philanthropic  work  in 
Pittsburgh  included  his  great  interest  in  the  affairs 
of  the  Pittsburgh  Newsboys'  Home,  of  which  he 
is  Vice-President  and  Director,  and  his  efforts  for 
the  upkeep  of  the  Pittsburgh  Homepathic  Hospital 
of  which  he  is  Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees. 


CHAPTER  TEN 


The  Mining  Interest 


Financial  and  Executive  Management  of  Mines  Centers  in  New  York — Some 
OF  THE  Leading  Mining  Actix  ities 


THE  mining  industries  of  the  country,  like  all 
other  large  activities  of  production,  have  ad- 
vanced from  the  old  plan  of  individual  devel- 
opment, or  from  development  by  small  groups,  to 
large  operations  with  mining  machinery  and  im- 
proved processes.  Such  operations,  requiring  large 
capital  and  efficient  organization,  are  best  directed 
from  a  great  financial  center.  Thus  it  is  that  the 
mining  interests  of  the  country  are  in  large  measure 
financed,  directed  and  managed  from  New  York. 
Here,  therefore,  are  the  central  offices  from  which 
are  managed  leading  mines  of  gold,  silver,  copper, 
lead  and  zinc. 

When  the  Spanish  conquistadores  pushed  the 
dominion  of  Spain  from  the  West  Indies  on  to 
the  great  American  continent,  their  main  quest 
was  for  gold  and  silver.  They  found  both  metals, 
but  principally  silver,  in  Mexico  and  in  Peru,  and 
later  in  more  or  less  profusion  in  the  other  Spanish 
colonies  of  Central  and  South  America  so  that 
the  Spanish  Main  became  the  El  Dorado  of  song 
and  story.  California  was  included  in  the  con- 
quest of  Mexico  but  its  auriferous  deposits  were 
scarcely  more  than  suspected  by  the  Spaniards 
though  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  were  reported 
by  the  intrepid  Coronado  as  containing  the  "Seven 
Cities  of  Cibola,"  around  which  were  vast  resources 
of  gold  and  silver. 

So  far  as  the  United  States  is  concerned  the 
first  gold  workings  were  in  Georgia  and  North 
Carolina  where  mines  were  worked  from  which 
gold  was  produced  in  sufficient  quantities  to  justify 
the  establishing  by  the  Government  of  branch 
mints  at  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  and  Dahlo- 
nega,  in  Lumpkin  County,  Georgia,  in  1 836,  for 
the  minting  of  gold  coins,  which  were  maintained 
until  after  the  Civil  War.  That  at  Charlotte  was 
reopened  in  I  869  as  an  assay  office.  The  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  by  the  Australian 
prospector,  Marshall,  was  the  beginning  of  the 
era  that  established  the  United  States  as  the 
world's  greatest  gold-producing  region. 


Silver  had  been  found  in  various  places,  largely 
as  a  by-product  of  lead  or  copper  mines,  until 
the  discovery  in  1859  of  the  famous  Comstock 
lode  in  Nevada  placed  the  United  States  in  what 
was  soon  to  be  a  neck-and-ne:k  race  with  Mexico 
as  a  silver  producer. 

In  the  early  years  of  mining  of  gold  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  the  chief  source  of  supply  was  the 
work  of  individual  miners  who  washed  out  from 
the  sands  of  active  or  obsolete  river  beds  the  gold, 
in  form  of  dust  and  nuggets,  that  had  been 
washed  out  from  the  auriferous  veins  of  the  sur- 
rounding mountains  by  the  rains  of  centuries.  The 
miner  on  this  small  scale  usually  disposed  of  his 
product  in  local  stores  or  took  it  to  a  nearby  as- 
sayer  who  would  melt  it  into  a  small  bar.  Later 
the  larger  operations  of  blasting  out  and  mining 
from  the  ledge  were  taken  up.  Not  often  did  the 
prospector  who  discovered  or  located  the  ledge 
undertake  the  systematic  mining  of  a  quartz  claim, 
except  enough  to  do  the  "assessment  work"  neces- 
sary to  hold  the  claim  and  to  demonstrate  its  min- 
eral value,  unless  it  developed  a  very  rich  pocket 
of  high-grade  ore  which  he  could  gouge  out  with 
his  pick.  Sometimes,  in  primitive  Mexican  fash- 
ion, he  would  build  an  arastra,  a  rude  apparatus 
propelled  by  horse  or  mule-power  walking  in  a 
circle,  by  which  free-milling  gold  or  silver  ores 
can  be  ground  and  amalgamated  by  dragging 
heavy  stones  over  the  ores  in  a  circular,  flat,  stone- 
bottomed  pit.  More  often,  however,  the  discov- 
erer, if  he  had  a  real  mine,  would  find  the  agent 
of  some  San  Francisco  mine  speculator  ready  to 
ofl^er  to  buy  the  mine  at  a  price  that  was  never  too 
high.  There  were,  however,  outside  of  the  Com- 
stock lode  and  a  few  other  locations,  not  many 
mines  worked  in  a  large  and  systematic  way.  The 
methods  of  reduction  were  crude  and  much  of  the 
value  went  to  waste  in  the  mill  tailings  if  the  ore 
was  free  milling  or  in  the  slag  heap  of  the  prim- 
itive smelters.  The  science  of  metallurgy,  how- 
e\er.  made  rapid  strides.     New  processes  ve.y 


176 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  XFW 


notably  the  cyanide  process,  made  possil)le  a  much 
higher  percentage  of  recovery  and  mines  that  had 
been  passed  by  as  worthless  by  the  prospector  or 
abandoned  by  the  discouraged  miner  became  im- 
mediately valuable  because  the  new  metallurgy 
made  low  grade  ore  in  large  quantities  more  val- 
uable to  mme  than  narrow  veins  of  much  richer 
ore. 

Transportation  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  the 
problem,  many  a  mine  of  value  being  impracti- 
cable as  a  working  proposition  because  of  the  ex- 
pense of  getting  in  tools  and  supplies  and  shipping 
out  ores. 

San  Francisco  was  the  center  of  the  active  oper- 
ations in  the  precious  metals  and  its  Stock  Ex- 
change was  the  one  on  the  floor  of  which  the 
campaigns  in  Washoe  (Comstock  lode)  stocks  were 
fought  in  the  "Bonanza"  period  of  the  middle 
'seventies.  Over-speculation  in  these  stocks,  dur- 
ing which  prices  went  to  two  or  three  times  their 
real  investment  values,  led  to  a  local  panic  in 
which  many  of  the  fortunes  which  had  been  made 
were  lost  and  the  Bank  of  California  went  to  the 
wall,  the  President,  William  Ralston,  committing 
suicide.  Darius  O.  Mills,  Senator  Sharon,  James 
R.  Keene,  President  of  the  San  Francisco  Stock 
Exchange,  and  several  others  made  up  a  fund  of 
$8,000,000  (the  three  named  each  contributing 
$1,000,000),  by  which  the  bank  was  saved  and 
made  once  more  solvent  and  prosperous,  but  the 
Stock  Exchange  never  recovered  from  the  blow. 
The  scepter  which  departed  from  San  Francisco 
as  a  center  of  mining  finance  came  to  New  York, 
which  has  since  reigned  supreme  as  the  home  mar- 
ket for  the  stocks  and  securities  of  most  of  the 
legitimate  mining  corporations  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
and  other  regions  of  production  of  the  precious 
metals.  There  are  few  gold  or  silver  mining  prop- 
erties of  legitimate  value  whose  securities  are  not 
dealt  in  on  one  or  the  other  of  the  New  York 
Exchanges.  This  city  is  a  natural  market  for 
these  securities  because  it  is  also  the  market  par 
excellence  for  gold  and  silver,  the  trade  in  which 
is  largely  international,  with  London  and  New 
York  as  the  reciprocal  arbiters  of  the  current  price 
of  silver  and  the  exchange  rate  on  gold  shipments. 
Until  the  great  European  War  began  there  was  a 
steady  international  movement  of  gold  bullion  to 
keep  national  gold  reserves  on  an  equilibrium,  but 
since  the  beginning  of  the  War  the  United  States 
has  held  and  retains  a  constantly  increasing  supply 
of  gold  as  the  reserve  back  of  the  constant  outgo 
of  munitions,  food  and  supplies  needed  by  the  En- 
tente Allies. 

During  the  present  war  period  the  three  other 
metals,  copper,  lead  and  zinc,  have  acquired  an 
importance  relatively  greater  than  that  of  the 
precious  metals.  The  normal  uses  of  copper  have 
greatly  increased  with  the  years,  but  the  war  uses 


of  copper  are  so  ijreat  that  there  has  been  a  call 
of  abnormal  proportions  for  this  metal  by  all  the 
belligerents  so  that  although  the  production  of  cop- 
per has  been  greatly  expanded  through  the  attrac- 
tion of  greatly  advanced  prices,  the  demand  has 
outrun  the  supply. 

Minerals  containing  copper  are  of  wide  distribu- 
tion, but  the  chief  sources  of  the  world's  supply  are 
ncfw,  as  shown  by  the  latest  available  statistics 
(those  of  1915),  the  United  States,  Japan,  Can- 
ada, Chile,  Spain,  Portugal,  Germany,  Aus- 
tralia, Peru.  Mexico,  Africa,  Russia,  Cuba  and 
Bolivia,  in  the  order  named,  with  all  other  coun- 
tries aggregating  only  25,000  metric  tons  out  of 
a  total  of  1,061,283  metric  tons.  It  should  be 
noted,  however,  that  the  position  of  Mexico  in 
this  statement  is  entirely  due  to  the  disturbed  con- 
dition of  the  country,  its  normal  production  being 
1 5  per  cent,  larger  than  that  of  Japan.  The 
United  States,  with  646,2 1 2  metric  tons,  pro- 
duced 60.889  per  cent,  of  the  world's  production, 
being  therefore  the  predominant  source  of  supply 
of  this  important  metal. 

Although  the  copper  industry  existed  in  a 
primitive  way  in  the  English  colonies  of  America, 
and  copper  was  mined  in  New  Jersey,  Connecticut 
and  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  part  of  the  Eight- 
eenth century,  making  shipments  to  England  as  far 
back  as  1731,  the  pre-eminence  of  the  United 
Stales  in  copper  is  a  matter  of  quite  recent  develop- 
ment. Those  colonial  operations  in  copper  were 
not,  however,  the  first  on  the  continent  for  arch- 
aeologists have  decided  that  the  prehistoric  inhab- 
itants of  the  Lake  country  worked  the  natne  copper 
deposits  of  the  Lake  Superior  region.  The  old 
Santa  Rita  del  Cobre  mine,  second  oldest  in  the 
United  States,  which  was  worked  by  Spaniards 
in  1805,  is  now  the  Chino  mine,  one  of  the  coun- 
try's best  producers,  but  did  not  count  as  a  part 
of  United  States  production  until  after  the  Gads- 
den Purchase. 

The  modern  commercial  history  of  the  Amer- 
ican copper  industry  dates  from  the  opening  up 
of  the  Lake  Superior  district  in  1844,  including 
the  mines  later  consolidated  as  the  Calumet  and 
Hecia  group  and  other  mines  which  gave  the 
United  States  a  place  among  the  foremost  copper 
producing  countries.  The  mines  of  this  range  are 
geologically  interesting  because  the  ore,  which  is  a 
native  copper  carrying  some  silver  but  only  very 
small  amounts  of  any  other  alloy,  occurs  as  a 
cement,  binding  together  or  replacing  the  pebbles 
of  a  conglomerate,  as  a  filling  in  amygdaloidal  trap 
rock,  this  Calumet  conglomerate  being  almost 
unique  in  mining  experience  and  having  no  par- 
allel except  in  small  isolated  masses  elsewhere. 
This  range  also  shows  irregular  masses  of  copper 
in  veins,  but  the  irregularity  of  these  veins  and 
the  variable  sizes  of  their  copper  contents  make  it 


View  of  Broad  Street  and  the  "Curb"  Market 


!78 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NFAV 


unprohtablc  to  work  tliein  unit's,',  c  opix-i  piKc- 
are  high. 

1  he  Michigan  mines  continued  to  be  the  dom- 
inating factor  in  American  production,  with  more 
than  fifty  per  cent,  of  the  production  until  1883 
(in  which  year  if  produced  51  per  cent.),  and 
during  most  of  that  period  they  turned  out  more 
than  80  per  cent,  of  the  entire  American  output. 
I  he  Michigan  production,  allowing  for  sHght  fluc- 
tuations, has  not  diminished,  but  increased  with  the 
years.  The  total  output  of  the  United  States  as 
a  whole  has,  however,  increased  much  more  rapid- 
ly than  that  of  the  Lake  Superior  region,  and  other 
sections  of  the  country  which  were  in  frontier  set- 
tlements when  Lake  Superior  was  furnishing  the 
bulk  of  the  copper  output,  have  become  prominent 
in  the  production  of  copper.  After  the  opening 
up  ol  the  Anaconda  in  Montana,  the  Michigan 
mines  were  soon  outstripped  in  production.  Mon- 
tana's production  passed  that  of  Michigan  in  1887 
and  has  remained  in  the  leid  of  that  State  ever 
since,  though  since  1907  Arizona  has  been  the 
foremost  State  in  the  production  of  copper. 

The  first  copper  mine  in  Arizona  was  at  Clif- 
ton where  there  were  comparatively  small  work- 
ings in  the  early  'Seventies  of  the  mines  which 
since  1 884  have  been  owned  by  the  Arizona 
Company,  a  British  corporation  which  acquired 
the  property  in  that  year.  The  location  of  the 
Copper  Queen  mine  at  what  is  now  the  town  of 
Bisbee  in  Arizona;  the  United  Verde  properties, 
started  in  operation  about  1883  and  acquired  bv 
Senator  W.  A.  Clark  in  1899;  the  Ray  Consoli- 
dated properties,  combined  under  present  owner- 
ship in  1907;  the  wonderful  Inspiration  on  which 
four  years'  preparatory  work  was  put  before  actual 
mining  started  in  1915;  the  Magma,  the  Miami, 
the  Calumet  and  Arizona,  the  Shannon,  the  Shut- 
luck-Arizona  and  many  other  large  producers  give 
.'\rizona  its  established  prestige  as  the  most  opulent 
copper  region  of  the  world. 

In  New  Mexico  the  Chino,  at  Harbey,  Grant 
County,  is  historic,  and  since  it  was  acquired  by 
the  Chino  Copper  Company  has  increased  its  pro- 
duction from  12,000,000  pounds  of  copper  in 
1912  to  64,887.788  pounds  in  1915. 

Nevada,  silver  queen  of  the  continent,  has  not 
been  so  prominent  in  copper  production  as  its  neigh- 
bor States,  but  has  one  large  mine,  that  of  the 
Nevada  Consolidated  Copper  Company,  which 
produced  62,726,651  pounds  of  copper  in  1915. 
It  is  controlled  by  the  Utah  Copper  Company. 

Utah  has  the  distinction  of  possessing  in  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Utah  Copper  Company  the  largest  de- 
veloped ore  body  in  the  world.  It  has  the  most 
extensive  mining  equipment  ever  known  with  fa- 
cilities for  mining  and  handling  on  a  scale  so  gigan- 
tic that  in  July,  1916,  it  produced  in  the  one 
month  20,302.228  pounds  of  copper.     The  ore 


Ijody  li  ol  \ery  low  grade  ttiough  ol  even  distri- 
bution, and  the  mining  is  done  on  the  most  exten- 
sive scale  known  to  mining  science.  The  total 
output  of  the  company  in  1915  was  148.397.066 
pounds  of  copper,  325,352  ounces  of  silver  and 
34,729  ounces  of  gold. 

Alaska  has  during  a  few  years  past  entered 
the  field  as  a  copper  producer  on  a  large  scale, 
although  the  fact  that  it  possessed  large  copper 
resources  had  long  been  known.  The  Bonanza 
mine  of  the  Kennecott  Copper  Company  is  the 
most  remarkable  mass  of  high  grade  copper  ore 
ever  uncovered,  much  of  it  rising  as  high  as  60 
per  cent,  copper.  The  mining  season  varies  from 
five  to  nine  months  in  length.  In  seven  months 
ended  January  I.  I  9 1  6.  the  Kennecott  mines  pro- 
duced 63.000.000  pounds  of  copper. 

Besides  these  mines  of  our  own  country,  and 
very  many  more  which  have  not  been  specifically 
named,  there  are  vast  copper  properties  in  Mexico, 
Chile  and  other  countries  which  are  owned  by 
American  corporations.  Formerly  the  copper  con- 
trol was  largely  centred  in  Boston,  which  still 
holds  an  important  place  as  a  copper  center.  But 
a  large  majority  of  the  copper  properties  of  first 
importance  are  managed  and  financed  from  New 
York,  which  is  also  foremost  as  a  market  for  the 
metal. 

The  uses  of  copper  have  been  very  greatly  mul- 
tiplied in  connection  with  electrical  machinery  and 
service.  Copper  is  an  indispensable  material,  the  de- 
mand for  which  has  grown  with  the  wonderful  de- 
velopment of  electricity  as  a  medium  for  the  pro- 
duction of  heat,  light  and  power.  Besides  this 
use,  the  importance  of  this  metal  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  munitions  has  created  a  great  demand 
which  has  incited  not  only  vast  increase  in  the 
output  of  existing  mines  but  has  also  materially 
stimulated  the  search  for  other  properties  which 
may  be  developed  into  productive  copper  mines. 

Zinc,  like  copper,  is  a  metal  which  has  been 
advanced  to  abnormal  prominence  by  the  demands 
of  wai.  It  is  also  like  copper  a  metal  of  wide  dis- 
tribution but  much  of  the  zinc  resources  were  not 
found  available  because  it  is  very  difficult  to  sep- 
arate, by  any  chemical  process  commercially  avail- 
able, the  zinc  from  the  other  metallic  ingredients 
with  which  it  is  in  most  cases  complicated.  There 
are  mines  in  this  country  in  which  zinc  is  the  pre- 
dominant metal  and  therefore  easily  separated  by 
treatment  of  the  ore  from  an  exclusively  zinc 
standpoint.  The  mines  which  produce  these  clean, 
easily  worked  zinc  ores  have  heretofore  supplied 
the  larger  share  of  the  American  spelter  product. 
But  as  zinc  is  a  metal  largely  used  in  connection 
with  various  war  activities  the  United  States  was 
suddenly  called  upon  for  a  much  larger  quantity 
of  spelter  than  had  ever  before  been  produced  in 
this  country.     As  by  far  the  larger  share  of  the 


NEW    YORK-^OLD    AND  NEW 


179 


world's  zinc  output  had  come  from  German  and 
Belgian  smelters,  now  cut  off  from  the  Entente 
Allies,  the  United  States  has  been  put  under  the 
pressure  of  a  demand  for  spelter  which  has  far 
outrun  the  present  capacity  of  this  country  to 
supply. 

This  has  resulted  in  prices  which  are  three  or 
four  times  higher  than  normal,  and  this  result  again 
has  stimulated  efforts  to  recover  zinc  from  ores  in 
which  its  presence  had  previously  been  regarded  as 
a  detriment  rather  than  an  asset.  In  the  smeltme 
of  complex  ores  the  zinc  has  usually  been  burned 
out,  or  by  other  modes  of  separation  has  gone  into 
the  tailings  dump. 

Progress  in  metallurgical  science  has  created 
new  methods  of  reduction  by  which  further  loss 
of  this  valuable  metal  in  such  ores  can  be  and  is 
largely  being  saved  by  new  processes,  such  as  the 
froth  flotation  process  for  the  recovery  of  zinc  from 
ores  in  which  it  is  complicated  with  lead,  and 
by  magnetic  separation  in  the  case  of  complex  sul- 
phide ores  the  reduction  of  which  long  baffled 
metallurgists  and  smelting  experts. 

The  zinc  industry  has  been  greatly  enlarged  by 
these  processes  and  the  promotion  and  management 
of  the  zinc  properties  and  the  new  processes  of 
production  are  largely  centered  in  New  York, 
which  also  includes  among  the  activities  of  its 
market  large  transactions  in  the  metal  zinc, 
the  volume   of   which    increased    about    75  per 


cent,  in  1916  over  the  similar  transactions  of  1915. 
The  lead  product  of  the  country  has  increased 
steadily  during  the  years,  being  under  100,000 
tons  per  annum  until  1881,  then  under  200,000 
tons  per  annum  until  1892,  under  300,000  tons 
annually  until  1898,  under  400,000  tons  yearlv 
until  1906,  and  under  500,000  tons  until  1914, 
when  it  increased  to  542,000  tons,  which  again 
was  increased  to  550,000  tons  in  1915.  The 
United  States  is  the  largest  producer,  with  over 
thirty  per  cent,  of  the  world's  production  before 
the  war  period,  a  proportion  now  considerably  aug- 
mented. The  three  leading  producing  states  for 
lead  are  Missouri,  Idaho  and  Utah,  whose  1915 
output  was  195,634  tons,  160,680  tons  and 
106,105  tons  respectively.  Missouri's  production 
is  unique  in  that  the  lead  ores  there  are  not  com- 
plicated with  zinc.  The  New  York  market  is 
the  principal  one  for  lead,  although  St.  Louis  is 
also  an  important  market  for  the  metal,  being  the 
center  of  a  large  industry  in  the  manufacture  of 
white  lead. 

New  York  has  grown  steadily  into  larger  par- 
ticipation in  the  mining  industries  and  interests  of 
the  United  States.  Mines  are  now  financed  and 
managed  upon  as  safe  and  conservative  lines  as 
any  other  industries,  and  with  their  largely  increas- 
ing output  responding  to  heavy  domestic  and  ex- 
port demands  contribute  in  no  unimportant  degree 
to  the  metropolitan  importance  of  New  York. 


180 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


JOHNG. 

One  of  the  most  active  and  energetic  members 
of  the  group  of  successful  men  engaged  in  the 
development  of  the  mining  interests  in  the  Tonopah 
section  of  Nevada  is  John  G.  Kirchen,  a  resident 
of  Reno,  in  that  state.  Mr.  Kirchen  was  born 
June  14,  1874,  at  Lake  Linden,  Michigan,  and 
after  a  preparatory  course  in  various  schools  en- 
tered the  Michigan  College  of  Mines,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  I  894  with  the  degree  of  Mining 
Engineer.  His  profession  called  him  to  Nevada, 
where  he  located  and  soon  became  interested  in 
mining  and  other  enterprises.  He  is  President 
and  General  Manager  of  the  White  Caps  Mining 
Company  of  Nevada,  the  White  Caps  Extension 
at  Manha  ttan,  the  Yerington  Mountain  Copper 
Co.,  the  Tonopah  Mines  Corporation  and  the 
Nevada  First  National  Bank  of  Tonopah.  He 
is  also  General  Manager  of  the  Tonopah  Exten- 
sion Mining  Company  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Rocky  Mountain  Club  of  New  York  City,  the 
Mining  and  Metallurgical  Society  of  America  and 
the  American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers.  The 
Tonopah  Extension  Mining  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Kirchen  is  General  Manager,  is  one  of  the 
most  prosperous  in  the  Tonopah  section  and  has 
been  largely  developed  under  Mr.  Kirchen's  di- 
rection. The  last  annual  report,  rendered  in  May, 
1917,  showed  profits  for  the  preceding  year  of 
$673,394.08.  A  surplus  brought  this  amount 
up  to  $1,513,005.91,  out  of  which  the  sum  of 
$702,491.82  was  paid  in  dividends.  The  Sully 
group  of  claims  was  purchased  during  the  year, 
which  brought  the  total  acreage  of  the  company 
up  to  627.6.  There  were  mined  109,402.20 
tons  of  ore,  the  contents  of  which  was  2,068,- 
650.38  ounces  of  silver  and  19,622,405  ounces 
of  gold,  the  average  gross  value  of  the  ore  being 
$17,107  per  ton,  of  which  $13,405  was  silver 
and  $3,702  gold.  Development  and  exploration 
work  is  still  going  on  in  the  various  levels,  and 


KIRCHEN 

additions  to  the  plant  made  during  the  year  in- 
creased Its  efficiency  25  per  cent  and  reduced  the 
cost  of  milling  $0,855  per  ton.  This  saving,  how- 
ever, was  partially  offset  by  an  increased  cost  of 
production  amounting  to  $0,286  per  ton.  Mr. 
Kirchen,  as  General  Manager,  has  inaugurated  a 
policy  of  saving  which,  with  prospective  ore  re- 
serves, will  greatly  increase  the  company's  profits 
during  the  present  year.  The  White  Caps  Mining 
Company,  which  is  under  the  direct  supervision  of 
Mr.  Kirchen  as  President,  owns  120  acres  of  land 
at  Manhattan,  Nevada,  forty-five  miles  from  Ton- 
opah. It  is  thoroughly  equipped  with  the  most 
modern  mining  and  milling  plants  in  the  country. 
Its  development  has  exposed  ore  bodies  which  are 
estimated  to  average  about  $20.00  per  ton  in  gold. 
The  equipment  is  such  that  150  tons  of  ore  will 
eventually  be  handled  and  in  the  near  future  the 
earnings  should  be  around  $40,000  per  month. 
Handling  and  treatment  will  be  under  $6.00  per 
ton  and  the  White  Caps,  it  is  predicted  by  experts 
and  engineers,  will  be  one  of  the  greatest  gold 
mines  in  the  country.  Mr.  Kirchen  looks  for  simi- 
larly good  results  from  the  development  of  the 
White  Caps  Extension  which  he  is  now  prospect- 
ing. The  Yerington  Mountain  Copper  Company, 
another  of  Mr.  Kirchen's  enterprises,  is  now  in 
course  of  development  and  is  taking  out  copper 
ore  running  six  per  cent  copper,  with  about  four 
ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton.  These  are  a  few  of 
the  corporations  that  have  been  and  are  being  suc- 
cessfully developed  through  Mr.  Kirchen's  genius 
and,  while  his  training  and  inclinations  have  led 
him  into  many  mining  ventures,  he  also  possesses 
executive  ability  and  financial  qualifications  that 
elevated  him  to  the  presidency  of  the  Nevada 
First  National  Bank  of  Tonopah,  one  of  the 
strong  institutions  of  that  section,  which  owes  much 
of  Its  su::ess  to  Mr.  Kirchen's  keen  knowledge  oi 
Western  conditions  and  investments. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


181 


John  G.  Kirchen 

A  Leader  in  the  Mining-  Interests  of  the  Country 


18? 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEIV 


BUFFALO 

II  has  often  been  asserted  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  luck  but  the  story  of  Charles  L.  Denison's 
puK  li.ise  and  development  of  a  productive  mine  in 
the  (  nil, ill  district  of  Canada  savors  greatly  of  un- 
aduhc  rated  chance.  Mi.  Denison.  who  had  been 
in  the  coal  business,  was  lookmg  around  for  a  new 
field  of  end(M\oi  when  he  picked  up  a  daily  paper 
and  read  nl  ihc  possibilities  in  the  mining  business 
at  Coball,  C  .unda.  He  determined  to  go  there 
and  look  around.  He  was  the  third  American  in 
the  district  and,  learning  of  a  man  who  wanted  to 
sell  a  claim,  he,  with  no  knowledge  whatever  of 
mining,  paid  $8,000  for  the  holding  and  became 
a  mine  owner.  He  liad  never  seen  silver-bearing 
rock  and  didn't  know  whether  his  investment  was 
good  or  bad.  He  remained  in  Cobalt  for  some 
time  and  then  another  man  chanced  along  and 
offered  to  buy  the  mine.  Here  luck  again  inter- 
vened. Mr.  Denison  asked  $100,000  for  the 
pioperty  and  the  would-be  purchaser  offered  $90,- 
000.  Thereupon  Mr.  Denison  refused  to  sell. 
Returning  to  the  States  Mr.  Denison  explained 
the  situation  to  Robert  W.  Pomeroy  and  to 
George  C.  Miller,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  to  whom 
he  sold  a  half  interest  in  the  claim  and  the 
Buffalo  Mining  Company  was  formed  with  a 
capital  of  $50,000.  The  work  of  develop- 
ment was  begun  and,  finding  more  money  was 
required,  the  three  associates  on  May  1 ,  1 906, 
incorporated  the  Buffalo  Mines,  Limited,  with 
a  capital  of  $1,000,000.  Machinery  and  mod- 
ern appliances  were  installed  and  the  company 
was  soon  shipping  ore  in  such  quantities  that  divi- 
dends were  paid  in  September  and  October  of  the 
year  of  incorporation.  Already  287  per  cent,  has 
been  paid  in  dividends  and  the  company  is  now 
making  a  distribution  of  capital  stock  amounting 
to  25  per  cent,  which  will  bring  the  total  divi- 
dends to  312  per  cent.  Mr.  Denison's  entry  into 
the  mining  field  was  the  result  of  sheer  hick  but 
his  grasp  of  conditions  afterwards  was  the  resuh 
of  sound  judgment  and   executive   ability  which 


NFS,  LTD. 

made  possible  the  stock  distribution.  When  silver 
was  selling  at  a  low  figure  three  years  ago  Mr. 
Denison  realized  that  the  war  would  advance  the 
price  and  he  determined  to  store  the  product 
of  the  mine.  This  he  did  until  L000,000 
ounces  had  accumulated,  which  he  sold  recently, 
verifying  his  judgment  and  earning  a  tidy  sum 
lor  the  slo(  khnldi  IS.  The  Buffalo  mines  are 
modernly  equijiiicd  \silh  every  appliance  lor  ex- 
tracting and  handling  ore  at  the  lowest  figure 
and  unexcelled  railroad  facilities  keep  the  cost  of 
shipments  down.  A  complete  concentrating  plant 
was  installed  last  year  and  the  company  now  re- 
fines its  own  silver.  The  corporation  is  a  close 
one,  only  about  25  or  30  per  cent,  of  the  stock 
being  on  the  market.  The  mines  give  promise  of 
future  rich  production  as  the  last  annual  report  of 
Superintendent  Jones  slates:  "There  is  broken 
ready  for  hoisting  approximately  15,700  tons  of 
ore  in  the  stopes,  of  approximate  value  of  25 
ounces  per  ton.  Unbroken  ore  developed,  I  7,200 
tons  of  the  same  estimated  value,  or  951,125 
ounces.  There  is  8,000  tons  of  ore  on  the 
dumps  of  approximate  value  of  120,000  ounces, 
making  a  total  of  1,071,125  ounces.  Sand  tail- 
ings of  approximately  275,000  tons  remain  of  es- 
timated value  of  1,400,000  ounces,  also  3,000 
Ions  of  residues  at  the  high  grade  plant  for  fur- 
ther treatment.  " 

The  officers  of  Buffalo  Mines,  Ltd.,  are: 
Charles  L.  Denison,  President ;  Robert  W.  Pom- 
eroy, Vice-President;  Albert  W.  Johnston,  Sec- 
ond Vice-President;  George  C.  Miller,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer.  These,  with  Edward  McM. 
Mills,   constitute  the  Board  of  Directors. 

Recently  Mr.  Denison  and  his  original  asso- 
ciates, Mr.  Pomeroy  and  Mr.  Miller,  purchased 
the  Teck-Hughes  mine.  This  company  had  an  is- 
sue of  2,000,000  shares  and  the  price  paid  was 
SIX  cents  per  share.  7  he  present  quotation  is  sixty 
cents  and  the  mine,  which  is  fully  equipped,  gives 
promise  of  yielding  a  large  amount  of  gold. 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


183 


Charles  L.  Denison 

President  of  the  Buffalo  Mines,  Ltd. 


184 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


CONSOLIDATED  INTERSTATF.-C  ALLAl  IAN  MINING  C  OMPAN>' 


John  A.  Percival 


The  Consolidated  Interstate-Callahan  Mining 
Company,  whose  property  is  located  at  Wallace. 
Idaho,  in  the  famous  Coeur  d'Alene  mining  dis- 
trict, has  shown  marvelous  development  since  its 
incorporation.  June  12,  1912.  It  began  paying 
dividends  April  I,  1915,  since  which  time  it  has 
paid  more  than  $6,000,000.00  to  holders  of 
stock,  an  amount  greater  than  forty  per  cent,  on  the 
par  value  of  the  stock.  $10.00  per  share,  and 
equal  to  25  per  cent,  of  the  present  market  price. 
The  company  was  organized  June  12,  1912,  by 
the  consolidation  of  the  Interstate  Silver-Lead  Min- 


ing Cotnpany  and  the  Callahan  Mining  Company, 
with  a  capital  of  $5,000,000.00,  divided  into 
500.000  shares  of  the  par  value  of  $10.00  per 
share.  The  principal  physical  asset  at  that  time 
was  the  uncovered  orebody  of  the  Callahan  Mine 
although  it  was  thought  that  the  mines  had  excel- 
lent prospects  because  both  of  the  properties  were 
located  immediately  west  of  the  Hercules  Mine 
and  northwest  of  the  Tamarack  and  Custer  Mines, 
all  of  which  were  large  producers  of  lead  ores. 
A  short  time  after  the  consolidation  a  very  rich 
vein  of  zinc  ore  was  opened  up  on  the  Interstate 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


185 


property,  the  discovery  and  development  of  which 
marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  zinc  production 
in  Idaho.  Robert  N.  Bell.  State  Inspector  of 
Mines,  in  his  annual  report  of  the  mining  industry 
of  Idaho,  published  January  I,  1913,  made  spe- 
cial reference  to  the  geological  significance  of  the 
discovery.  He  said:  "This  property  comprises 
a  very  extensive  group  of  claims  in  the  strike  to 
the  west  of  the  famous  Hercules  vein.  It  is 
situated  almost  entirely  in  the  black  mud  slates  of 
the  Pritchard  formation  in  their  perfect  and  typical 
unaltered  condition,  and  the  success  of  this  de- 
velopment is  of  decided  importance  to  the  general 
welfare  of  the  district." 

His  judgment  has  been  fully  vindicated  as  the 
experts  who  had  so  confidently  declared  that  no 
permanent  vein  would  be  found  in  this  formation 
have  been  converted  or  silenced  by  the  development 
within  it  of  one  of  the  greatest  and  most  persistent 
ore  deposits  in  the  world.  The  report  made  by 
the  President,  Mr.  Percival,  on  June  30,  1916. 
asserts  that  the  operations  of  the  past  year  totalled 
a  net  profit  of  $3,100,491.28.  Adding  to  this 
the  surplus  as  of  June  30.  1915,  makes  a  total 
surplus  of  $4,243,458.32.  Out  of  this  there 
were  paid  dividends  of  $7.00  per  share  during 
the  year,  making  a  total  of  $3,254,930.00,  and 
for  the  acquisition  of  new  property  $181,817.17. 
leaving  a  surplus  as  of  June  30.  1916,  of  $806,- 
710.66. 

The  dividends  paid  in  December,  1916,  March 
31,  1917,  and  the  dividend  of  $1.00  per  share 
paid  June  30,  1917,  make  a  grand  total  in  two 
years  of  more  than  six  million  dollars  paid  (dis- 
bursed) to  the  stockholders,  which  is  equivalent  to 
$13.50  per  share.  The  company  owns  forty- 
five  mining  claims  upon  which  title  is  held  under 
patents  of  the  United  States  Government.  The 
company  has  increased  its  holdings  by  the  pur- 
chase from  time  to  time  of  valuable  properties. 
The  company  now  owns  the  adjoining  property 
known  as  the  Nipsic  Mining  Co.  and  has  a  con- 
trolling interest  in  the  Blue  Grouse  Mining  Com- 
pany, the  Silver  State  Mining  Company  and  the 
Virginia  claim.  These  properties  all  adjoin  the 
Consolidated  Interstate-Callahan  Mining  Company 
and  have  become  a  part  of  it.  All  these  holding; 
have  proven  valuable  additions.  The  acreage  at 
the  present  time  amounts  to  something  better  than 
twelve  hundred  acres.        This  great  company  of 


mining  holdings,  consolidated  and  known  as  the 
Consolidated  Interstate-Callahan  Mining  Co.,  pro- 
duces silver,  lead  and  zinc  ore. 

During  the  quarter  ended  March  31,  1917. 
the  total  ore  mined  amounted  to  37,700  tons, 
which  had  an  average  content  of  23.7  per  cent, 
zinc,  2.5  ounces  of  silver  and  6.7  per  cent, 
lead.  Ore  reserves  blocked  out  in  mine  are  suffi- 
cient for  approximately  three  years'  supply  at 
present  rate  of  production. 

In  the  management  of  the  Consolidated  Inter- 
state-Callahan Mining  Company  there  are  asso- 
ciated men  from  various  sections  of  the  country, 
including  some  whose  knowledge  of  the  Idaho 
mining  field  is  based  on  long  and  intimate  famil- 
iarity with  its  developments,  some  of  them  going 
back  to  pioneer  days  in  the  Nine  Mile  section  of 
the  Coeur  d'Alene.  Others  are  men  of  varied 
business  and  financial  experience  whose  judgment 
has  been  schooled  in  connection  with  the  manage- 
ment of  other  great  enterprises.  Their  direction 
of  this  great  enterprise,  whose  income  last  year  ex- 
ceeded four  million  dollars,  is  marked  by  methods 
of  enterprising  industry  and  financial  conservatism 
which  testify  to  the  progress  as  well  as  the  safety 
of  the  large  interests  confided  to  their  hands. 

The  official  roster  of  the  company  is  as  follows: 
President,  John  A.  Percival;  M.  G.  Rodearmel, 
First  Vice-President;  Milie  Bunnell,  Second  Vice- 
President  and  Treasurer;  Julian  B.  Beatty,  Sec- 
retary. The  Directors  are:  John  A.  Percival, 
New  York  City;  Otto  Sussman,  New  York  City; 
Joseph  B.  Cotton,  New  York  City;  Milie  Bun- 
nell, Duluth,  Minn.;  A.  L.  Warner,  Duluth, 
Minn.;  P.  H.  Nelson,  Duluth,  Minn.;  M.  G. 
Rodearmel,  Minneapolis,  Minn. ;  S.  S.  Titus, 
Grand  Forkes,  N.  D. ;  James  F.  Callahan.  Wal- 
lace, Idaho. 

The  principal  office  of  the  company  is  at  61 
Broadway,  New  York  City,  and  branches  are 
maintained  with  the  Stoddard  Incorporating  Com- 
pany, Phoenix,  Arizona,  in  the  Sellwood  Building. 
Duluth.  Minnesota,  and  at  the  mines,  Wallace. 
Idaho.  C.  W.  Newton  is  Manager  at  the  mines 
and  D.  F.  Haley,  of  Wallace,  Idaho,  Consulting 
Engineer. 

The  Title  Guarantee  and  Trust  Company.  I  76 
Broadway,  acts  in  the  capacity  of  Transfer  Agent, 
while  the  Registrar  and  Transfer  Company,  120 
Broadway,  fills  the  position  of  Registrar. 


185 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AMD  NEW 


MARYSVILLR  GOLD  MINING  CO. 


Surrounded  by  a  group  of  gold  mines  that  have 
produced  over  $30,000,000,  llie  properties  of  the 
Marysville  Gold  Mining  Company  occupy  the 
geological  center  or  core  of  the  Marysville  district, 
Lewis  &  Clark  County,  Montana.  There  are 
nine  historical   mines  in  this  surrounding  group. 

I  hey  have  for  years  been  rated  as  the  richest  gold 
mines  in  the  state  of  Montana.  All  are  withm 
a  radius  of  half  to  three  quarters  of  a  mile  of  the 
Marysville  Gold  Mining  group.  The  company's 
mineral  estate  is  in  a  compact  body,  its  holdings 
comprising  appro-ximately  500  acres,  forming  a 
group  of  six  gold  mines.  The  Marysville  con- 
solidation, accordmg  to  incomplete  records,  has 
produced  between  $500,000  and  $1,000,000, 
although  it  has  never  been  systematically  or  exten 
sively  operated.  Litigation  involved  an  important 
section  of  the  group  over  a  period  of  14  years, 
which  prevented  development  or  the  extraction  of 
ore.  This  has  recently  been  cleared  up.  Some 
idea  of  the  value  of  the  Marysville  and  the  pos- 
sible production  can  be  gleaned  from  a  description 
of  the  territory.  From  the  Drumlummon  on  the 
east  to  the  Marysville  is  a  distance  of  less  than 
half  a  mile.  This  mine  has  produced  $28,000,000 
and  its  veins  strike  directly  into  Marysville  terri- 
tory. The  Cruse  and  Belmont  mines,  which  have 
produced  $5,500,000,  adjoin  the  Marysville  on 
the  northeast.  Their  principal  veins  also  traverse 
the  northeastern  section  of  the  Marysville  group. 

I  he  Piegan  &  Gloster  is  half  to  three  quarters  of 
a  mile  northwest.  Its  production  has  totalled 
$8,000,000.  Less  than  three  quarters  of  a  mile 
west  lie  the  Empire  and  Penobscot,  which  have 
recorded  a  production  of  $5,000,000. 

Approximately  three-quarters  of  a  mile  south- 
west IS  located  the  Bald  Butte  mine,  which  is 
credited  with  a  production  of  $3,500,000.  The 
Shannon  mine  of  the  Barnes  King  Development 
Company  endlines  the  Blue  Bird  mine  of  the 
Marysville  on  the  southwest.  During  the  past  two 
years  an  orebody  700  feet  long  has  been 
developed  on  the  Shannon  to  within  a  very  short 
distance  of  the  Blue  Bird  line.  The  ore  reserves 
blocked  out  to  a  depth  of  about  400  feet  are 


estimated  at  $3, 00 J, 000.  The  east  face  of  thi 
Shannon  workings  shows  9  to  1 2  feet  of  high 
grade  gold  ore,  sampling  from  $60  to  $65  a 
Ion.  This  is  in  reality  the  continuation  of  the 
Blue  Bird  &  Hickey  vein  of  the  Marysville.  from 
which  has  been  extracted  approximately  $550,000 
under  exceedingly  adverse  conditions.  This  was 
prior  to  the  litigation  referred  to — at  a  time  when 
ore  had  to  have  a  value  of  $20  to  $25  per  ton 
to  be  worth  anything.  The  Blue  Bird  &  Hickey 
vein  has  been  opened  along  its  strike  for  a  dis- 
tance of  approximately  4,000  feet  on  Marysville 
ground.  It  has  been  proven  rich  and  permanent. 
In  all  probability  it  is  correlated  with  one  of  the 
major  veins  of  the  Drumlummon.  Attention  is 
called  to  the  fact  that  most  of  the  major  veins  of 
the  district  strike  directly  toward  and  into  the 
Marysville  property.  This  is  shown  by  the  lay  of 
the  various  mining  claims  of  the  surrounding  prop- 
erties, which,  as  usual,  are,  with  few  exceptions, 
located  on  the  strike  of  the  main  ore  channels. 
The  Marysville  Gold  Mining  Company  owns  out- 
right ten  of  the  above  lodes  and  holds  favorable 
options  on  the  remainder.  Options  will  be  exer- 
cised on  properties  which  develop  to  the  satis- 
faction of  the  management,  and  such  properties 
will  be  added  to  the  company's  mineral  estate. 
The  Marysville  Gold  Mining  Company  holds  in 
its  treasury  473.000  shares  out  of  a  total  author- 
ized of  1.000,000  shares,  of  the  par  value  of  $1. 
A  limited  number  of  the  treasury  shares  are  beint; 
sold  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  on  further  develop- 
ment operations,  to  build  a  milling  plant  for  the 
reduction  of  ores,  and  to  complete  payments  on 
additional  properties  acquired.  The  stock  of  the 
Marysville  Gold  Mining  Company  has  been  listed 
on  the  New  York  Curb. 

The  vein  of  the  Blue  Bird  &  Hickey  property 
has  been  opened  to  a  maximum  depth  of  350  feel 
and  mine  samplings  show  average  values  in  gold, 
with"  some  silver,  ranging  from  $30  to  $50  per  ton. 
The  two  claims  are  expected  to  produce  several 
millions  of  dollars  in  gold,  with  some  silver.  The 
main  Honeycomb  shaft  is  approximately  250  feet 
deep.  At  the  bottom  it  shows  eight  feet  of  ore.  with 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


187 


an  average  value  of  $25  a  ton.  The  Mt.  Pleas- 
ant claim  shows  a  value  of  $60  to  $75  a  ton 
and  some  shipments  have  netted  as  high  as  $4,000 
a  car.  The  Spokane  group  shows  values  from 
$20  to  $30  a  ton  while  the  Annie  Dillion  shows 
ore  of  an  average  value  of  from  $30  to  $40  per  ton. 

In  addition  to  the  veins  above  described,  there 
are,  in  all,  1 4  known  veins  on  the  Marysvil!e 
group  of  mines.  These  have  been  prospected  so 
superficially  that  their  true  mining  importance  is  an 
unknown  quantity.  That  they  all  have  big  possi- 
bilities, however,  is  a  statement  which  has  been 
endorsed  by  many  of  the  more  competent  mining 
authorities  of  the  State  of  Montana.  Plans  as  out- 
lined for  the  systematic  development  of  the  Marys- 
ville  properties  include  the  continuation  of  the  Blue 
Bird  &  Hickey  crosscut  tunnel  to  open  and  explore 
the  Mr.  Pleasant-Honeycomb  veins.  This  will 
give  a  depth  of  about  400  feet  on  the  veins  of  this 
group.  Drifts  will  then  be  driven  the  full  length 
of  the  veins  with  a  view  to  opening  a  large  ton- 
nage of  ore  for  later  production. 

In  the  previous  operation  of  these  mmes,  power 
was  an  important  and  costly  item.  With  the 
development  of  the  Shannon,  however,  an  electric 
power  line  has  been  built  across  the  Marysville 
and  ample  electric  power  is  now  available  for  all 
purposes.  The  saving  of  this  single  item  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  power  now  costs  one-fifth  of  what 
it  did  prior  to  the  installation  of  the  power  line. 
Its  importance  is  reflected  in  the  fact  that  ore  of  an 
average  grade  of  $10  per  ton  can  now  be  mined 
and  milled  at  a  substantial  profit,  whereas  all  ore 
less  than  $20  per  ton  of  metal  contents  was  prac- 
tically worthless. 

There  are  a  number  of  substantial  and  modern 
mills  operating  in  the  immediate  locality,  all 
engaged  in  handling  ore  from  adjoining  or  nearby 
mines.  The  fact  is  brought  out  as  showing  that 
there  are  no  metallurgical  problems  confronting  the 
company.  It  is  planned  to  build  a  mill  of  300 
tons  capacity  at  the  mouth  of  the  Spokane  tunnel. 
The  plant  will  be  equipped  with  most  modern 
machinery,  including  adequate  crushing  and 
cyaniding  units.     iProvision  will  be  made  to  in- 


crease capacity  by  building  additional  units  as  ore 
developments  may  warrant.  Metallurgical  deter- 
mmations  show  conclusively  that  a  saving  of  from 
90%  to  95%  of  the  gross  values  of  the  ore  is 
entirely  feasible.  Careful  estimates  of  all  items  of 
cost  on  an  output  of  300  tons  daily  show  that  a 
net  return  of  at  least  $10  per  ton  on  all  ore  milled 
will  be  realized.  This  deduction  is  made  only 
after  an  exhaustive  consideration  of  the  average 
grade  of  ore  that  will  be  extracted  and  wholly 
disregards  the  higher  grades,  of  which  there  are 
substantial  tonnages  running  from  $40  to  $75  per 
ton.  In  this  connection,  it  may  be  interesting  to 
note  that  exceptionally  rich  vein  sections  have  been 
handled  separately  on  the  Bald  Butte,  Cruse,  and 
other  rich  mines,  and  have  yielded  values  from 
$1,000  to  $2,000  per  ton.  On  a  net  realization 
of  $10  per  ton  from  milling  operations,  the  esti- 
mated net  earnings  of  the  company  are  placed  at 
$900,000  annually.  Shipments  of  higher  grade 
ore  are  counted  upon  to  materially  increase  the 
average  yearly  income,  the  closest  estimates  ap- 
proximating $1,000,000  net,  which  would  equal 
$1  a  share  yearly  on  the  company's  capital  of 
$1,000,000.  Whatever  increase  is  made  in  mill- 
ing facilities  later  will,  obviously,  mean  an  equiva- 
lent increase  in  production  and  net  earnings. 

The  Marysville  Gold  Mining  Company's  mines 
have  been  examined  and  reported  upon  at  various 
times  by  many  of  the  foremost  engineers  of  the 
State  of  Montana  as  well  as  practical  mine  opera- 
tors of  wide  experience  and  prominent  standing. 
Included  among  these  are  such  men  as  James 
Higgins,  who  was  for  years  connected  with  the 
Anaconda  Company  as  an  assistant  superintend- 
ent and  is  widely  known  throughout  Montana  as 
a  consulting  engineer;  W.  W.  Lytzen  and  E. 
M.  May,  engineers  of  mines,  Butte,  Montana,  L. 
S.  Ropes,  Edward  Swan  and  John  W.  Wade, 
prominent  engineers  of  Helena,  James  Deering. 
one  of  the  big  mine  operators  of  the  state,  and 
Duncan  MacVichie,  E.  M.,  of  Salt  Lake.  All 
these  experts  have  made  flattering  reports  of  the 
group.  The  New  York  offices  of  the  company 
are  at  120  Broadway. 


188 


WEIV    YORK    OLD    .-lAV)  NEW 


Cornelius  M.  Garrison 

President  of  the  Calumet  &  Jerome  Copper  Co. 


iVElV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


189 


CORNELIUS  M.  GARRISON 


A  prominent  figure  in  the  copper  industry  of  the 
country,  whose  energy  in  mining  and  marketing 
that  indispensable  product  has  materially  added  to 
the  nation's  wealth,  is  Cornelius  M.  Garrison,  who 
was  born  at  Brookville,  Pa.,  May  9,  1866.  the 
son  of  John  Nelson  and  Mary  Angeline  (Thomp- 
son) Garrison.  He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry, 
and  on  the  paternal  side  is  descended  from  the  old 
and  well-known  Garrison  family  of  Boston.  The 
maternal  forebears  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  Chester  County,  Pa.  Mr.  Garrison  was  grad- 
uated from  the  public  schools  of  Brookville  in 
1 883,  and  began  his  active  business  career  two 
years  later  with  the  Orford  Copper  &  Sulphur  Co. 
in  laboratory  work  at  Constable  Hook,  N.  J.  His 
next  connection  was  with  the  Butte  Reduction 
Works,  of  Butte,  Mont.,  where  his  knowledge  of 
copper  was  largely  added  to,  and  he  then  returned 
to  the  Orford  Copper  &  Sulphur  Co.  as  night 
foreman  of  the  Constable  Hook,  N.  J.,  plant. 
He  retained  this  position  for  some  time  and  then 
began  business  for  himself  in  Pittsburgh,  Pa., 
dealing  in  copper  and  other  metals  and  working 
in  close  affiliation  with  the  W.  A.  Clark  interests. 
He  was  subsequently  occupied  in  assisting  to  dis- 
pose of  the  United  Verde  Copper  Co.'s  output 
through  the  Waclark  Wire  Co.,  of  Bayway, 
N.  J.  After  this  he  transferred  his  interests  to 
New  York  City,  where  he  dealt  in  copper  wire 
and  later  directed  his  attention  to  copper  mining 
and  other  phases  of  the  copper  industry  in  California 
and  Arizona. 

One  of  the  principal  companies  with  which 
Mr.  Garrison  is  affiliated  is  the  Calumet  & 
Jerome  Copper  Company,  an  Arizona  corporation 
of  $1,500,000  capital,  full  paid  and  non-assess- 
able, with  a  par  value  of  $1.00  per  share.  There 
are  no  bonds  or  other  fixed  charges.   The  registrar 


15  the  Security  Transfer  &  Registrar  Company,  66 
Broadway,  New  York  City.  The  property  com- 
prises SIX  claims  of  approximately  one  hundred 
acres  of  patented  land.  The  claims  are.  Reming- 
ton, Clara,  Duluth,  Franklin,  Calumet,  Bald  Eagle 
and  St.  Paul — all  in  one  body  and  located  in  the 
Jerome  Mining  District  of  Arizona. 

All  buildings  are  of  galvanized  corrugated  iron 
and  equipment  includes  285  H.  P.  Mcintosh 
&  Seymour  Diesel  Engine  coupled  to  a  200 
K.  V.  A.  Generator  and  Exciter  with  panel  board 
and  current  regulator;  Ingersoll  Rand  Air  Com- 
pressor driven  by  75  H.  P.  motor;  Lidgerwood 
Double  Drum  Counterbalance  Hoist  with  motor; 
Gallows  Frame  of  Oregon  pine  timber;  well  fur- 
nished blacksmith  shop  with  latest  type  drill  sharp- 
eners; oil  storage  tanks;  water  storage  tanks  with 
water  cooler;  superintendent's  cottage;  automobile 
truck;  entire  plant  including  shaft,  electrically 
lighted  and,  in  fact,  the  most  complete  plant  in 
the  Jerome  district. 

The  property  is  end-lined  and  side-lined  by  the 
United  Verde  Copper  Company,  which  is  owned 
by  e.x-Senator  W.  A.  Clark,  undoubtedly  the  rich- 
est copper  mine  of  the  world.  The  property  is 
also  side-lined  by  the  United  Verde  Extension, 
which  has  recently  opened  up  an  heretofore 
unheard  of  body  of  rich  copper  ore.  The  Jerome 
District  is  traversed  by  what  is  known  as  th<? 
Great  North-South  Fault,  which  is  easily  traced 
through  the  United  Verde  and  United  Verde 
Extension,  into  and  through  the  Calumet  &  Jerome. 
The  officers  of  the  company  are:  George  W. 
Avery,  President;  C.  M.  Garrison,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; George  H.  Avery,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
The  company's  main  office  is  located  at  Jerome, 
Yavapai  County,  Ariz.,  with  a  branch  office  at  96 
Broadway,  New  "^'ork. 


190 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


MOTHER  LODE  COPPER  MINES  COMPANY  OF  ALASKA 


The  Mother  Lode  Copper  Mines  Company  of 
Alaska,  organized  in  1907,  owns  in  fee  70  lode 
and  placer  claims,  adjoining  the  Bonanza  Mines, 
in  the  Copper  River  district  of  Alaska.  The 
tract  includes  about  1 ,400  acres  and  is  three  miles 
by  air  line  from  the  Copper  River  &  Northwest- 
ern Railroad.  Two  veins  have  already  been  opened 
up,  the  Marvelous  and  Pittsburgh,  the  average 
width  of  the  vein  in  the  former  being  seven  feet  for 
a  considerable  length.  In  the  Pittsburgh  North 
Drift  Slope  the  width  is  31  feet  and  the  eastern 
wall  has  not  yet  been  found.  Superintendent 
Hancock  in  a  recent  report  to  the  directors  stated: 

"Whereas  there  is  no  scientific  reason  why  a 
vein  should  grow  in  size  and  richness  with  depth, 
the  rule  being  in  general  the  reverse,  we  find  here 
that  the  deeper  we  go  the  stronger,  wider  and 
richer  the  vein  becomes  and  the  outlook  for  the 
lower  levels  from  the  new  shaft  is  certainly  most 
promising  and  the  present  showing  and  future  out- 
look of  the  Mother  Lode  far  exceeds  anything  ever 
seen  at  any  previous  time  since  development  com- 
menced, and  what  was  only  a  good  prospect  four 
years  ago  is  now  a  fully  developed  copper  mine, 
with  a  large  tonnage  of  rich  ore  extracted,  blocked 
out,  in  sight  and  prospective." 

According  to  this  report  the  ore  reserves  in 
sight  and  estimated  include  I  14,328  tons  of  ore, 
!  7,770  tons  of  copper  and  468,074  ounces  of 
silver.  The  copper  at  30  cents  per  pound  is 
valued  at  $10,662,000  and  the  silver  at  75  cents 
per  ounce  amounts  to  $351,055,  making  a  total 
of  $1  1,013,055.  The  mming  costs  at  $4.00  per 
ton  will  amount  to  $330,044,  making  the  net 
value  of  the  ore  at  mine  $10,682,61  I.  In  ad- 
dition to  this  there  is  at  the  lower  tramway  ter- 
minal, McCarthy  railroad  depot  and  en  route,  cop- 
per and  silver  ore  valued  at  $275,872.50.  The 
Superintendent  further  states:  "As  the  new  two- 
comparlment  shaft  has  been  started  and  is  down 
5 1  ft.  but  temporarily  stopped  awaiting  power 
hoist,  with  a  view  of  developing  and  opening  up 
the  lower  ore  zone  (the  zone  that  all  the  Bonanza 


Mine  workings  are  on),  from  my  intimate  knowl- 
edge of  conditions  obtaining  in  that  mine  and  my 
firm  anJ  persistent  belief  that  we  shall  find  the 
same  conditions  on  the  Mother  Lode  property,  I 
have  made  a  careful  and  conservative  estimate  and 
find  there  is  probably  between  the  600  and  800 
ft.  levels  in  the  new  shaft  56,000  tons  of  copper 
of  the  value  of  $33,600,000  at  30  cents  per 
pound  and  I  4,400  ounces  of  silver  at  75  cents  per 
ounce,  valued  at  $1,080,000.  Deducting  $5.00 
per  ton  for  mining  and  hoisting  charges  leaves  a 
net  valuation  of  $33,480,000  at  the  mine. 

"In  making  the  above  estimate  I  have  taken  the 
bw  grade  ore  as  containing  15  per  cent,  of  cop- 
per and  the  high  grade  as  40  per  cent,  and  while 
there  will  undoubtedly  be  a  considerable  tonnage 
running  below  1  5  per  cent,  so  also  will  there  be 
a  large  tonnage  running  over  40  or  even  60  per 
cent;  hence  these  percentages  will,  I  am  convinced, 
prove  a  conservative  average  when  the  ore  comes 
to  be  mined." 

During  March,  1917,  the  company  received 
$102,940.84  from  the  Tacoma  Smelting  Com- 
pany for  ore  extracted  in  1916.  Practically  only 
fifty  per  cent,  of  this  ore  is  being  paid  for,  at  the 
present  time,  at  present  market  prices,  subject  to 
a  reduction  for  freight  cm  the  first  half  payment. 
In  the  future  the  company  will  doubtless  largely 
increase  its  ore  shipments  as  it  has  recently  in- 
stalled new  equipment  and  constructed  a  roadway 
leading  to  the  railroad  station.  To  do  this  it  was 
necessary  to  erect  fifteen  bridges  over  McCarthy 
Creek  in  the  circuitous  drive  from  the  mine  to 
the  station  and  to  tunnel  some  sections  out  of  the 
solid  rock.  Motor  trucks  will  now  be  used  and 
the  output  of  the  mine  more  profitably  handled.  A 
500  horse-power  engine  has  been  installed  together 
with  two  250  ton  boilers.  Crushers  and  con- 
centrators of  modern  make  are  a  part  of  the  equip- 
ment with  a  power  plant  at  the  railroad  station. 
New  bunk  houses  have  been  erected  for  the  work- 
ers and  the  mine  is  now  perfectly  equipped  for 
the  most  economic  extraction  and  handling  of  ore. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


191 


ERNEST  LE  DUG 

President  of  the  Big  Ledge  Copper  Company. 


Finance,  manufacture,  agriculture,  oil  and  mines 
have  each  produced  some  stalwart  Americans  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years  of  war.  We  have  all 
been  able  to  see  where  the  advantages  of  the  coun- 
try lay,  but  only  a  favored  few  have  been  able  to 
grasp  them  at  the  precise  time  that  meant  a  fortune. 
Never  in  our  generation,  perhaps  not  in  this  century, 
can  we  expect  such  another  opportunity  as  the 
times  afford — value  marks  everything  American., 
and  valor  awaits  our  flag.  Through  it  all  the 
most  interesting  thing  as  usual  is  the  study  of  man 
and  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  the  men  who 
have  added  their  names  to  the  role  of  successful 
Americans  during  recent  years  is  Ernest  LeDuc, 
President  of  the  Big  Ledge  Copper  Company  and 
also  identified  with  various  other  absorbing  enter- 
prises. A  brief  sketch  of  Mr.  LeDuc's  career 
cannot  fail  to  be  of  interest  and  value  to  our 
readers,  especially  the  younger  generation  who 
seek  energy,  integrity  and  commercial  success  for  a 
guide. 

As  the  name  indicates,  Mr.  LeDuc  is  of  Cana- 
dian-French descent  on  his  father's  side,  An- 
tome  LeDuc  having  been  born  at  the  town  of 
Beauharnois,  a  suburb  of  Montreal,  and  he 
in  turn  was  descended  from  that  sturdy  line  of 
ancestry  which  found  adventure  and  freedom  on 
this  side  of  the  Atlantic  during  the  Napoleonic 
Wars.  Antoine  LeDuc  early  came  to  the  United 
States  and  became  interested  in  mining  and  played 
a  considerable  part  in  the  early  development  of 
that  wonderful  fortune-maker — the  Calumet  & 
Hecla.  He  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Korten,  of 
Scotch  and  Huguenot-French  parentage  and  a  na- 
tive of  Essen,  Germany,  and  who  came  to  Ameri- 
ca in  1854.  This  is  an  admixture  of  races  which 
does  not  make  dwarfs,  and  Ernest  LeDuc,  who 
was  born  of  this  parentage  at  Calumet,  Michigan, 
on  January  3\,  1869,  can  well  be  classified  as 
one  of  the  real  stalwart  Americans  that  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  times  have  brought  to  the  front. 

Calumet,  Mich.,  breathes  an  atmosphere  tinc- 
tured with  copper.  It  has  seen  so  many  millions 
dug  from  the  ground  that  miners  are  shaped  in 
the  cradle,  and  thus  young  LeDuc  after  gathering 
what  schooling  he  thought  sufficient  to  equip  him 
for  life,  took  a  course  in  the  Detroit  Business  Col- 
lege and  became  associated  with  his  father  in  a 
large  surveying  contract  on  the  Mesaba  Range  m 
Northern  Minnesota.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  engaged  with  various  iron  and  lumber  com- 
panies, occupying  positions  of  trust  and  skill  \vith 
the  largest  operators  and  companies  in  the  great 
Mesaba  and  Vermillion  Ranges.  This  experi- 
ence, practical  as  it  could  be  made,  has  been  of 
r^'-eat  service  to  Mr.  LeDuc  in  the  broader  field  of 


his  own  endeavors  and  there  are  few  men  at  the 
head  of  our  great  mining  enterprises  who  have  a 
clearer  practical  knowledge  of  the  business  from 
all  angles  than  has  Ernest  LeDuc. 

The  Big  Ledge  Copper  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  LeDuc  is  President  and  General  Manager,  is 
one  of  the  principal  industries  at  present  engaging 
his  well-trained  mind,  and  the  revival  in  the  cop- 
per mines  of  the  world,  which  has  taken  place 
since  the  nations  of  the  earth  have  gone  into  the 
business  of  munition-making,  will  continue  to  ad- 
vance after  the  advent  of  peace — for  the  arts  of 
peace  must  need  copper  as  well  as  the  arts  of 
war. 

This  wonderful  revival  in  the  copper  line  has 
brought  great  wealth  to  owners  of  all  successful 
mines  and  has  made  these  mines  the  subject  of 
much  study  and  scientific  investigation  to  the  end 
that  the  intelligent  investor,  the  reliable  promoter 
and  the  conservative  financier  have  been  able  to 
reap  rewards  hitherto  unknown. 

The  Big  Ledge  Copper  Company's  mines  are 
located  at  or  near  Huron,  Arizona,  in  one  of  the 
richest  copper-bearing  districts  in  the  known  world. 
It  is  made  up  by  the  consolidation  of  smaller 
properties,  principally  those  formerly  known  as  the 
Henrietta,  the  Butternut  and  the  Black  Hills, 
group.  The  consolidation  took  place  in  1915 
and  the  properties  consist  of  1 ,900  acres  all  told. 
The  capitalization  is  authorized  at  $7,500,000, 
divided  into  shares  of  $5  each  at  par.  The  de- 
velopments and  facilities  for  the  turning  of  copper 
into  dividends  on  this  property  have  all  the  mod- 
ern methods  known  to  science.  The  earnings  at 
the  present  writing  are  sufficient,  it  is  said,  to  pro- 
duce returns  of  1  6  per  cent  annually  upon  the  en- 
tire capitalization. 

Aside  from  his  connections  with  the  Big  Ledge 
Copper  Co.  Mr.  LeDuc  is  also  President  and 
General  Manager  of  the  Mesaba  Cuyuna  Iron 
Land  Company  and  a  Director  in  the  Cuyuna 
Mille  Lac's  Iron  Company  and  extensive  interests 
in  other  fields  and  lines  of  endeavor.  He  is 
most  earnest,  however,  in  seeing  the  Big  Ledge 
made  into  one  of  the  great  copper  properties  of  the 
world,  and  within  a  short  time  expects  to  see  it 
take  its  place  along  with  the  greatest  producers 
of  the  country. 

Mr.  LeDuc  spends  much  of  his  time  in  Duluth, 
Minn.,  the  scenes  of  his  earlier  triumphs  and  where 
he  is  a  member  of  the  Kitchi  Gammi  Club  and 
the  North  Land  Country  Club.  His  vast  inter- 
ests make  him  a  New  Yorker,  however,  -whether  he 
will  or  not,  as  he  spends  much  time  in  this  city.  He 
is  a  member  of  that  favorite  club  of  western  men — 
the  Ra:ky  Mountain  Club^  of  New  York  City. 


192 


^ElV    YORK    OLD    A^'n  .WEIV 


UTICA  MINES.  LTD. 


1  he  property  of  the  Utica  Mines,  Ltd.,  is  cen- 
trally located  in  Slocan  mining  district  of  British 
Columbia,  where  nine  claims  of  450  acres  are 
owned  under  Crown  grant  and  a  square  mile  of 
Crown  granted  timber  land  including  water  power, 
saw  mills,  mill  site  and  town  site,  all  adjourning 
the  mine.  These  properties  lie  on  a  mountain,  the 
elevation  of  the  outcrop  being  6,700  feet  above 
sea  level,  or  about  3,500  feet  above  the  valley. 
There  are  four  known  veins  which,  according  to 
the  engineers,  contam  high  grade  silver-lead-zmc 
ores.  When  discovered,  the  veins  on  the  outcrop 
were  so  rich  in  silver  and  lead  that  they  were 
known  locally  as  the  "Bonanza  Veins."  The 
property  is  being  opened  on  account  of  its  ex- 
tremely favorable  natural  location,  by  a  series  of 
tunnels  run  into  the  mountain  at  different  depths  or 
levels  until  the  ore  bodies  are  rncountered,  at  which 
pomt  driftmg  is  commenced  and  the  different  ore 
shoots  placed  m  condition  for  economical  extrac- 
tion. The  main  veins,  known  as  No.  I  and  No. 
2,  running  uniformly  parallel,  about  80  feet  apart, 
have  now  been  developed  to  a  maximum  depth  of 
1 ,200  feet  below  the  mountain  ridge  on  which  the 
original  discoveries  were  made.  Production,  how- 
ever, is  being  confined  to  what  is  known  as  the 
No.  3  and  No.  4  levels.  No.  3  level  is  800 
feet  vertically  below  No.  2  level,  with  which  it 
has  not  yet  been  connected.  Two  shoots  of  high 
grade  silver-lead  ore  have  been  opened  on  this 
level.  On  No.  I  vein  the  shoot  is  200  feet  long 
and  on  No.  2  vein  the  shoot  is  250  feet  long. 
Ore  is  now  being  extracted  from  both  these  shoots 
above  this  level.     Drifting  is  also  being  continued. 


.md  it  is  exj^ected  the  "Bonanza"  ore  shoots  shown 
on  the  surface  will  be  picked  up  not  far  ahead. 
No.  4  level  is  220  feet  vertically  below  No.  3 
level  and  it  has  been  found  that  the  ore  shoots, 
which  were  respectively  200  feet  and  250  feet 
long  on  No.  3  level,  have  lengthened  to  650  feet 
on  No.  I  vein,  and  700  feet  on  No.  2  vein. 
Extraction  of  ore  is  now  going  on  above  this  level. 
Drifting  is  also  being  pushed  and  the  "Bonanza" 
ore  shoots,  according  to  survey,  should  be  en- 
countered within  300  feet.  No.  5  level  was 
started  in  December,  1916,  and  will  tap  the  ore 
bodies  at  an  additional  depth  of  360  feet.  It 
will  reach  the  two  main  veins  within  approximately 
1 ,800  feet,  and  should  be  completed  in  the  fall 
of  1917.  The  other  two  veins  are  not  being  de- 
veloped at  the  present  time  as  it  is  believed  they 
can  be  more  economically  opened  in  the  lower 
horizons  of  the  mine.  The  development  of  the 
property  is  under  the  direct  supervision  of  C.  B. 
White,  E.  M.  The  Consulting  Engineer  is  R. 
M.  Stewart.  E.  M.,  who  in  recent  years  has  been 
the  General  Manager  for  the  Canadian  Consoli- 
dated Mining  and  Smelting  Company.  Utica 
Mines.  Ltd..  is  capitalized  at  $2,000,000.  The 
officers  are^  President.  Volney  D.  Williamson. 
Spokane.  Wash. ;  Vice-President.  C.  J.  Caldwell. 
Kaslo.  B.  C. ;  Secretary.  F.  J.  Kilner,  Spokane. 
Wash.  The  Board  of  Directors  include  these 
officers,  together  with  W.  C.  Sivyer.  W.  W.  Tol- 
man  and  R.  H.  Vorhees,  of  Spokane.  In  his  last 
report  President  Williamson  said: 

"To-day,  after  years  of  patient,  intelligent  ef- 
fort, during  which  time  over  $200,000  have  been 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


193 


expended  m  development  and  equipment,  the  prop- 
erty of  the  Utica  Mines,  Ltd.,  in  my  opinion, 
stands  on  the  threshold  of  becoming  one  of  the 
successful  mines  of  the  West.  In  1916  the  mme 
shipped  a  large  tonnage  of  silver-lead-zmc  ores  to 
the  Trail  smelter,  located  in  the  same  district,  for 
which  it  received  approximately  $170,000.  The 
first  three  months  of  1917  our  shipments  have 
shown  a  profit  of  somethmg  over  $12,000  net 
monthly.  As  the  mme  is  opened  up  and  ship- 
ments increased  the  monthly  profits  will  necessarily 
mount  higher  and  higher  until  the  mine  should  show 
net  profits  of  several  times  this  amount.  As  a 
result  of  operations,  during  the  past  eighteen 
months,  the  company  has  retired  all  of  its  outstand- 
ing indebtedness  of  every  kind  whatsoever,  and 
now  has  a  cash  surplus  of  over  $1  13,000.  At  a 
stockholders'  meeting  held  at  Kaslo,  British  Co- 
lumbia, on  April  1 8th,  it  was  decided  that  the 
company  was  justified  in  declaring  an  initial  divi- 
dend of  2  cents  per  share  to  be  paid  June  15th  to 
stockholders  of  record  June  I  st.  This  is  intended 
as  a  quarterly  dividend,  that  is  to  say  8  per  cent, 
per  annum  on  par  of  $1  per  share.  Knowing 
the  facts  as  I  do,  I  feel  that  the  company  has  every 
reason  to  anticipate  with  the  most  sanguine  assur- 
ance the  development  of  a  mine  that  will  com- 
pare favorably  with  other  great  mines  of  the 
West." 

Previously  this  company  has  not  been  known  in 
the  East,  and  it  is  likely  that  share  values  will 
advance  rapidly  once  it  is  better  known  and  es- 
pecially on  a  basis  of  the  rather  liberal  dividend 
return.  The  life  of  the  mine  under  these  con- 
ditions is  highly  important  and  this  seems,  accord- 


ing to  the  officials,  to  be  assured  as  does  the  fact 
that  the  present  high  prices  on  lead,  silver  and 
zinc  will  continue  for  some  time. 

The  Security  Transfer  and  Registrar  Company, 
66  Broadway,  New  York  City,  are  the  transfer 
and  registrar  agents  of  the  stock  and  the  selling 
agents  are  Rogers,  Norton  &  Co.,  43  Exchange 
Place,  and  Coleman  &  Reitze,  50  Broad  Street, 
New  York  City.  On  a  recent  visit  to  New  York, 
President  Williamson  confirmed  the  report  of  the 
recent  sensational  strike  of  high  grade  silver-lead 
ore  on  the  company's  property.  Mr.  Williamson 
states  that  from  information  received  from  the 
superintendent  the  strike  was  made  in  an  upper 
crosscut  tunnel  at  a  point  300  feet  from  the  main 
drift.  The  vein  is  eight  feet  wide,  of  high  grade 
concentrating  ore.  Over  one  foot  of  this  ore  is 
very  clean  and  samples  taken  therefrom  average  60 
ounces  of  silver  and  70  per  cent,  of  lead  to  the 
ton.  The  shoot  is  an  entirely  new  one  in  this 
part  of  the  mine,  although  it  shows  on  the  surface 
where  it  is  from  3  to  4  feet  in  width.  The  decla- 
ration of  the  2  per  cent,  dividend  was  the  introduc- 
tion of  the  Utica  Mines,  Ltd.,  to  the  New  York 
Curb.  As  the  shares  were  quoted  at  25  cents 
against  a  par  value  of  $1.00,  this  would  mean  a 
net  yield  of  8  per  cent.  This  caused  considerable 
activity  in  the  shares,  especially  as  the  mine  has 
been  under  serious  development  for  several  years 
and  its  earnings  for  the  first  three  months  of  this 
year  are  stated  to  have  been  in  excess  of  $12,000 
monthly  and  are  said  to  be  increasing.  In  1915, 
production  amounted  to  $15,000,  in  1916  it  in- 
creased to  $1  70,000  and  for  191  7,  it  is  though;, 
it  will  be  much  larger. 


194 


XEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


ALASKA  STANDARD  COPPER  MINING  COMPANY 


The  Alaska  Standard  Copper  Mining  Company, 
actively  traded  in  on  the  New  York  Curb  and 
which  has  a  capitaHzation  of  $2,000,000,  di- 
vided into  2,000,000  shares  of  the  par  value  of 
$1.00,  started  shipments  of  ore  in  July,  1917. 
The  company  is  operating  the  Standard  Copper 
Mine  located  on  Copper  Mountain,  Landlocked 
Bay,  Prince  William  Sound,  Alaska,  about  1,100 
miles  north  of  Seattle,  Washington,  and  about  30 
miles  from  Valdez,  Alaska.  The  mine  is  being 
operated  under  lease  and  option  extending  over 
three  years  from  the  present  time.  The  purchase 
price  is  $500,000,  which  will  be  paid  in  instal- 
ments out  of  the  returns  from  ore  shipments.  Ore 
reserves  in  the  mine  are  valued  at  $4,554,318 
net  which,  with  copper  metal  at  25  cents  a 
pound,  amounts  to  over  nine  times  the  purchase 
price.  At  the  prevailing  price  of  copper  these 
ore  reserves  are  worth  over  $6,000,000,  or  twelve 
times  the  purchase  price.  Owing  to  its  proximity 
to  the  warm  Japanese  Current,  Landlocked  Bay 
is  open  for  navigation  throughout  the  year.  At 
the  company's  wharf  is  a  depth  of  28  feet  of 
water  at  low  tide,  sufficient  for  the  largest  vessels 
in  the  Alaska  trade.  Climatic  conditions  will  per- 
mit operation  of  the  mine  all  the  year  round 
About  $150,000  has  been  expended  in  developing 
the  mine  by  tunnels  to  a  depth  of  430  feet  below 
the  surface,  equipping  the  property  with  overhead 
tramways,  of  which  there  are  three  leading  from 
the  tunnels  to  the  terminal  station,  the  erection 
of  ore  bin?,  buildings,  wharf,  etc.  There  are  ex- 
posed in  the  mine  ready  for  extraction  and  ship- 
ment 310,127  tons  of  ore  varying  in  grade  from  4 
per  cent  to  8  per  cent  copper  of  the  net  value  of 
$4,554,318,  with  copper  metal  at  25  cents  a 
pound.  The  price  is  now  much  higher,  thus  in- 
creasing the  net  value  of  these  ore  reserves  to  over 
$6,000,000. 

This  valuation  represents  over  $2.50  per  share 
for  the  entire  capital  stock  of  the  company,  after 


providing  for  the  purchase  price  of  the  mine.  This 
valuation  is  based  on  the  development  work  ac- 
complished on  only  three  ore  bodies.  There  are 
eleven  ore  bodies  exposed  on  the  surface.  By  ex- 
tending tunnel  No.  3  to  cut  the  downward  ex- 
tension ot  the  ore  bodies  in  tunnel  No.  2  the  avail- 
able ore  reserves  should  be  very  largely  increased. 
Tunnel  No.  3  recently  cut  ore  body  No.  2  show- 
ing a  width  of  from  five  to  six  feet  of  ore  aver- 
aging $50  a  ton.  It  is  estimated  that  this  develop- 
ment has  added  $300,000  to  the  ore  reserves.  A 
trial  shipment  of  64  tons  from  tunnel  No.  2 
gave  returns  of  n.30  per  cent  copper.  The 
company  now  has  a  force  of  men  at  the  mine 
breaking  ore  for  shipment  to  the  Tacoma  smelter, 
which  has  offered  a  five-year  contract  at  a  treat- 
ment charge  of  $1.50  a  ton.  The  ore  is  con- 
veyed by  overhead  bucket  tramway  from  the  mine 
tunnels  to  the  ore  bins  at  the  wharf  and  loaded 
on  the  steamer  for  Tacoma.  There  is  no  more 
economical  mode  of  transportation.  It  is  proposed 
to  make  regular  shipments  of  3,000  tons  of  ore  a 
month.  Calculating  on  5  per  cent  copper  ore  and 
copper  metal  at  only  30  cents  a  pound  and  omit- 
ting gold  and  silver  contents,  the  returns  would  be 
$L296,000  per  annum,  or  over  50  per  cent  on 
the  total  capitalization.  These  statements  are 
based  on  the  report  of  John  L.  Steele,  a  prominent 
mining  engineer  of  high  repute,  from  United  States 
Geological  Survey  reports  and  handbooks  which 
accurately  describe  the  Standard  Copper  Mines  of 
Alaska. 

In  his  report  on  the  mine  Mr.  Steele  shows  that 
the  property  consists  of  seven  patented  claims  and 
a  mill  site,  comprising  an  area  of  about  1  50  acres. 
The  equipment  includes  a  blacksmith  shop  on  the 
beach  well  equipped  with  drill  press  and  all  tools 
necessary  and  incident  to  medium  heavy  work  for 
mining,  such  as  building  ore  cars,  etc.,  a  superin- 
tendent's house  of  seven  rooms,  an  office  build- 
ing and  a  commissary  stock  room;  a  combination 


NEW    YORK- OLD    AND  NEW 


195 


boarding  and  bunk  house  two  stories  high  on  the 
beach,  water  works  supplying  all  buildii  gs  on  the 
beach  and  sufficient  for  fire  protection;  a  boarding 
house  and  a  bunk  house,  each  one  story  .''igh;  a 
blacksmith  shop  for  sharpening  tools  and  other 
small  work  at  the  portal  of  each  tunnel ;  a  gasoline 
launch  fifty  feet  in  length;  telephone  connection 
from  the  superintendent's  house  and  office  to  the 
central  station  and  the  opening  of  each  tunnel  and 
drill  steel,  ore  cans,  ore  buckets  and  a  powder 
house  for  the  storage  of  dynamite,  caps  and  other 
explosives.  The  development  work  consists  of 
three  tunnels,  one  shaft  and  about  1,500  ft  of 
surface  striping.  Tunnel  No.  I  is  a  cross-cut  tun- 
nel, driven  for  the  purpose  of  mtersectmg  three 
parallel  ore  bodies.  The  first  ore  body  was  en- 
countered at  a  depth  of  about  60  feet  and  drifted 
on  for  a  distance  of  ]  05  feet.  This  deposit  car- 
ries an  average  of  8  per  cent  copper,  I  oz.  silver 
and  4/100  oz.  gold.  Some  of  the  ore  from  this 
deposit  has  been  mined  and  shipped.  On  this  vein 
a  shaft  has  been  sunk  to  a  depth  of  60  feet, 
where  the  ore  body  was  encountered.  This  vein 
has  been  drifted  on  for  a  distance  of  6  feet  and 
holds  its  own  in  width  (an  average  of  6  feet) 
and  metal  contents.  None  of  this  ore  has  been 
extracted.  The  second  deposit  was  encountered 
at  a  distance  of  1  80  feet  from  the  portal  and  at 
a  vertical  depth  of  230  feet.  The  third  deposit 
was  encountered  at  a  distance  of  478  feet  and 
where  cross-cut  by  the  tunnnel  has  a  width  of  32 
feet,  with  a  vertical  depth  of  430  feet  below  the 
surface.  This  vein  was  drifted  on  for  a  distance 
of  350  feet  following  the  hanging  wall  and  four 
cross-cuts  running  to  this  foot  wall  to  determine  the 
size  and  average  metal  contents  of  this  deposit. 
From  numerous  samples  taken  it  gives  an  average  of 
4  per  cent  copper,  I  oz.  silver  and  3  1  00  oz.  gold, 
with  occasional  lenses  of  good  ore  running  from  7 
per  cent  to  8  per  cent  copper.  None  of  this  ore 
has  been  broken  except  for  the  above  mentioned 
work. 


Tunnel  No.  2  is  located  at  a  distance  of  650 
feet  to  the  west  and  lower  down  the  mountain  from 
Tunnel  No.  3,  a  total  distance  of  approximately 
1 ,000  feet.  It  was  driven  to  intersect  two  paral- 
lel ore  bodies.  These  deposits  were  encountered, 
the  first  one  65  feet  from  the  portal  of  the  tunnel, 
the  second  90  feet.  Each  of  these  deposits  was 
drifted  a  distance  of  65  feet;  average  copper  con- 
tents of  these  deposits  8  per  cent,  1  oz.  silver: 
65  tons  of  ore  was  shipped  from  this  tunnel  to 
the  Tacoma  Smelter,  giving  the  return  of  11.43 
per  cent  copper.  Quite  a  large  amount  of  ore  still 
remains  in  this  slope  that  can  be  broken  and  mar- 
keted on  short  notice. 

Tunnel  No.  3  has  been  driven  1 26  feet  lower 
down  (vertical  depth)  to  intersect  the  ore  body 
encountered  in  Tunnel  No.  2.  This  tunnel  has 
been  driven  a  distance  of  312  feet  and  Mr. 
Steele  estimates  the  ore  should  be  encountered 
within  50  feet  from  the  end  of  the  present  work- 
ing. Should  this  prove  correct  there  can  be  broken 
and  marketed  upwards  of  $300,000  worth  of  ore 
in  Tunnel  No.  I .  This  has  been  done  and  the 
ore  is  now  being  extracted.  The  Alaska  Standard 
Copper  Mining  Company  was  organized  under  the 
laws  of  South  Dakota,  with  Marcus  L.  Hewett. 
of  the  firm  of  M.  L.  Hewett  &  Co.  of  115 
Broadway,  New  York  City,  as  President.  Mr. 
Hewitt  was  until  recently  a  resident  of  Montana, 
where  for  thirty  years  he  was  engaged  in  mining. 
He  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  practical  and 
expert  operators  in  the  field  and  his  interest  in  the 
development  of  the  Alaska  mine  is  an  assurance 
of  its  value  as  an  ore-producing  proposition.  While 
a  resident  of  Montana  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Senate  and  was  for  a  time  President  of  the 
Mine  Owners'  Association — a  signal  honor  when 
it  is  considered  that  Senator  Clark  and  others  of 
the  most  successful  mine  owners  of  the  Western 
Country  are  members  of  that  organization.  The 
specialist  for  the  AJaska  Standard  Copper  stock  u 
M.  J.  Kiernan,  Jr.,  of  42  Broad  Street. 


1% 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


H.  A.  GUESS 


H.  A.  Guess,  who  is  prominently  identified 
with  important  mining  operations  in  the  United 
States,  Mexico  and  South  America,  is  a  native 
of  Canada,  where  he  was  born  at  Kingston,  Ont., 
November  21,  1875.  His  preparatory  education 
was  in  the  pubhc  schools,  and  collegiate  institute, 
after  which  he  entered  Queens  University,  graduat- 
ing in  1895.  For  the  two  years  thereafter  he  was 
engaged  in  surveying,  assaying  and  mine  examina- 
tion in  British  Columbia  and  did  the  sampling  upon 
which  the  low-grade  copper  mines  at  Phoenix, 
B.  C,  were  purchased  by  the  Granby  Mining  and 
Smelting  Co.,  in  1897.  Severing  his  connection 
with  this  work,  he  became  Manager  of  the  Ottawa 
Gold  Mining  and  Milling  Co..  at  Keewafin,  On- 
tario, Canada,  retaining  the  position  until  1901. 
when  he  became  connected  with  the  Guggenheim 
interests  as  Superintendent  and  later  as  Manager 
and  General  Manager  of  various  of  their  plants 


in  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  He  was  sub- 
sequently made  Consulting  Engineer  for  the  Min- 
ing Department  of  the  American  Smelting  and  Re- 
fining Co.,  and  the  American  Smelters  Securities 
Co.  At  the  present  time  he  is  Managing  Director 
of  the  Mining  Department  of  these  companies; 
Managing  Director  of  the  Federal  Mining  and 
Smelting  Co.  and  Consulting  Milling  Engineer 
for  Guggenheim  Brothers,  the  Chile  Copper  Co., 
and  the  Braden  Copper  Co.  In  addition  to  his 
interest  in  these  companies  Mr.  Guess  is  a  Director 
of  the  New  York  Honduras  Rosario  Mining  Co. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Mining  Engineers,  the  Mining  and  Metallurgical 
Society  of  America,  the  American  Electro- 
Chemical  Society,  the  Corado  Scientific  So- 
ciety, the  Engineers'  Club,  Rocky  Mountain  Club, 
Canadian  Club  of  New  York  and  Bankers'  Club 
of  America. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


197 


ALUMINUM  COMPANY  OF  AMERICA 


The  Aluminum  Company  of  America,  now  one 
of  the  greatest  commercial  and  manufacturing  con- 
cerns in  the  United  States,  owes  its  origin  and 
growth  to  the  development  of  aluminum.  It  was 
in  I  888  that  a  process  for  commercially  producing 
the  metal  was  discovered.  Previous  to  that  time 
it  had  been  looked  upon  as  a  curiosity  and  its 
almost  prohibitive  price  confined  its  use  to  the 
manufacture  of  expensive  novelties.  The  existence 
of  aluminum  had  been  suspected  for  several  hun- 
dred years,  and  in  1  808  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  sug- 
gested "that  clay  and  many  rocks  of  similar  forma- 
tion had  for  their  base  an  undiscovered  metal." 
The  properties  of  these  greatly  resembled  the  alu- 
minum of  today.  Francis  Woehler,  a  German 
chemist,  was  the  first  to  actually  isolate  the  metal, 
in  1827.  This  was  in  powder  form  and  it  was 
not  until  1 845  that  it  was  produced  in  small 
globules.  In  1855  Develle,  a  French  chemist, 
who  had  imprcn'ed  upon  Woehler's  method  obtained 
an  almost  pure  aluminum  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
determine  accurately  many  of  its  physical  proper- 
ties. Develle's  method  was  the  first  to  permit  the 
extraction  of  pure  metallic  aluminum  at  will,  but 
It  was  so  costly  that  the  metal  sold  for  $16  per 
pound.  The  aluminum  industry  as  a  commercial 
possibility  began  in  1  888  when  Charles  M.  Hall, 
a  student  at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  perfected  the 
method  above  mentioned  to  produce  the  metal  at  a 
price  that  assured  its  commercial  use. 

In  1 889,  following  Mr.  Hall's  researches,  he 
associated  with  Alfred  E.  Hunt,  who  was  conduct- 
ing a  chemical  and  metallurgical  laboratory  and 
organized  the  Pittsburgh  Reduction  Co.,  which 
name  was  later  changed  to  the  Aluminum  Company 
of  America.  The  future  of  the  venture  was  at  this 
time  an  unknown  quantity.  Comparatively  little 
was  known  of  the  properties  of  aluminum  and 
almost  nothing  of  the  uses  to  which  it  could  be 
put.     The  metal  produced  by  Develle's  method 


had  been  rolled  into  sheets,  bars  and  wire  and  had 
been  used  in  the  manufacture  of  novelties  and 
there  seemed  little  prospect  at  that  time  for  its 
commercial  development.  In  order  to  understand 
Hall's  process  of  reduction  it  must  be  explained 
that  aluminum  appears  in  the  earth's  crust  almost 
invariably  as  a  silicate  of  aluminum,  or  ^s  an 
hydrated  oxide  of  aluminum,  and  of  these  two 
forms  the  latter  only  is  available  for  this  process. 
It  is  found  as  a  mineral  called  "bauxite,"  which 
contains  not  only  the  oxide  of  aluminum  and  water 
but  also  such  impurities  as  iron  oxide,  silica,  com- 
mon soil,  etc.,  which,  however,  are  not  in  chemi- 
cal combination  with  the  aluminum  oxide.  A 
process  for  the  separation  of  the  aluminum  oxide 
(alumina)  from  the  accompanying  minerals  in 
the  bauxite  had  been  generally  known  for  some 
time.  It  consisted  in  grinding  the  bauxite  in- 
to very  fine  particles  and  saturating  it  with 
water.  Soda  is  introduced  into  this  mass,  com- 
bining with  the  alumina  to  form  sodium  aluminate, 
which  is  dissolved  at  once  by  the  water.  The 
other  materials  in  the  mass,  viz.,  the  iron  oxide 
silica,  etc.,  however,  are  not  soluble  in  water  and 
therefore  can  be  readily  filtered  out,  leaving  only 
the  sodium  aluminate  solution.  This  solution  is 
then  decomposed  and  the  alumina  is  precipitated 
out  from  it.  After  washing  and  calcining  it  takes 
the  form  of  a  fine  powder,  white  in  color,  gritty 
in  texture  and  expressed  by  the  chemical  symbol 
Al.O...  This  process  had  been  known  for  a  long 
while  but  Hall  conceived  the  idea  of  separating 
the  alumina  into  its  constituent  elements,  aluminum 
and  oxygen,  by  an  electric  method  and  devised 
a  process  which  combined  the  principles  of  the 
electric  furnace  and  the  electrolytic  bath.  After 
a  large  amount  of  experimental  work,  the  possi- 
bilities of  aluminum  as  a  commercial  product  be- 
came apparent  and  in  1 890  the  Pittsburgh  plant 
was  moved  to  New  Kensington,  a  suburb  of  the 


1% 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


Western  metropolis,  where  a  new  factory  had  been 
erected.  In  1 893  a  reduction  plant  was  built  at 
Niagara  Falls,  where  cheaper  electric  power  was 
available  and  a  few  years  later  the  Arkansas  mines 
were  opened  up  and  the  alumina  works  at  East 
St.  Louis,  Illinois,  were  established.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  the  company  owns  and  operates  mines  in 
Georgia  and  Arkansas,  the  alumina  works  at  East 
St.  Louis,  now  a  concern  of  gigantic  proportions, 
three  reduction  plants  and  a  rolling  mill  at  Niagara 
Falls,  a  reduction  works  and  wire  mill  at  Mas- 
sena.  N.  Y.,  a  general  fabricating  plant  at  New 
Kensington,  Pa.,  and  an  aluminum  bronze  powder 
works  at  Dover,  N.  J.  This  is  the  growth  of 
twenty-three  years  and  its  development  has  grown 
into  one  of  America's  greatest  industries.  The 
uses  of  the  metal  are  many  and  varied.  It  is  used 
for  automobile  parts,  open  hearth  steel  and  in 
sheets  which  are  used  in  the  manufacture  of  tanks, 
commercial  and  domestic  cooking  utensils,  electrical 
apparatus,  receptacles  for  strong  chemicals  and 
thousands  of  other  purposes.  The  metal  on  leav- 
ing the  rolls  has  the  brightness  and  luster  of  silver, 
the  malleability  of  copper  and  about  one-third  the 
strength  of  steel.  Its  use  for  cooking  utensils  has 
been  advocated  by  scientists  as  it  is  impregnable 
to  acid  formations  and  on  this  account  the  packers 
of  the  country  use  aluminum  vessels  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  all  their  foodstuffs.  The  utensils  have  a 
smooth  surface  easily  cleaned  and  capable  of  be- 
ing kept  in  the  most  sanitary  condition.  Ferment- 
ing tanks  in  the  breweries  are  also  made  of  the 
metal  and  these  are  much  better  as  fermentation 
produces  verdigris  in  copper  utensils  and  this  is  im- 
possible when  aluminum  is  used.  Copper  has  the 
greatest  electrical  conductivity  per  unit  of  cross- 
section  and  next  to  copper  comes  aluminum.  The 
relative  conductivity  of  the  two  metals  is  as  98 
to  61. 

In  order,  therefore,  that  an  aluminum  cable 
have  an  equal  carrying  capacity  to  a  given  size 
copper  cable  its  cross-section  must  be  1.59  times  as 


great.  But  the  ratio  of  the  weights  of  the  two 
metals  is  as  3.3  to  I,  and  it  is,  therefore,  a  simple 
problem  to  determine  the  fact  that  an  aluminum 
cable  has  only  48  per  cent  of  the  weight  of  its 
copper  equivalent.  That  is,  forty-eight  pounds 
of  aluminum  will  just  exactly  replace  one  hundred 
pounds  of  copper  in  a  line  transmitting  electrical  en- 
ergy, and  it  follows,  therefore,  that  in  order  for  a 
copper  line  and  an  aluminum  line  of  the  same  capac- 
ity to  cost  the  same  amount  the  price  of  the  alumi- 
num must  be  exactly  2. 1  times  the  price  of  copper  per 
pound.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  however,  this  has 
not  been  the  case  in  recent  years,  during  which 
the  price  of  aluminum  has  varied  from  1.9  to  1. 6 
times  the  price  of  copper  per  pound  and,  there 
fore,  aluminum  has  not  only  the  advantage  in 
weight  but  also  the  advantage  in  price  over  copper 
for  transmission  purposes.  These  facts  are  recog- 
nized by  the  engineers  of  the  country  and  alumi- 
num transmission  lines  have  been  installed  in  some 
of  the  largest  hydro-electric  plants  in  America. 
More  than  75  per  cent  of  the  power  generated 
at  Niagara  Falls  is  distributed  over  aluminum 
cables  and  thousands  of  miles  of  it  can  be  found 
all  over  the  country  carrying  power  from  the  source 
of  generation  to  factories,  electric  railways,  light- 
ing plants  and  in  every  place  where  electric  power 
is  used  to  turn  the  wheels  of  industry.  There  are 
many  more  uses  to  which  aluminum  is  put.  It  is 
used  in  tubing  of  the  greatest  fineness  for  delicate 
instruments  and  in  sizes  to  conform  with  standard 
iron  pipe,  employed  where  corrosive  chemicals  are 
used.  It  is  also  turned  out  in  extruded  shapes 
manufactured  by  forcing  molten  metal  through  a 
steel  die,  cut  to  the  desired  shape  of  the  bar  re- 
quired, finely  grained  aluminum  which  is  used 
principally  for  its  property  of  developing  tremen- 
dous heat,  when  it  is  burned  and  forced  to  com- 
bine with  oxygen,  and  aluminum  bronze  powder 
which  will  probably  be  recognized  as  an  ingredient 
of  paint  and  which  is  also  used  to  considerable 
extent  in  the  manufacture  of  fireworks. 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN 
Crude  and  Manufactured  Rubber 


New  York  Leads  the  Country  as  a  Port  and  Market  for  Crude  Rubber — 
Large  and  Diversified  Trade  in  Rubber  Goods 


THE  impetus  given  to  certain  lines  of  products 
by  the  introduction  of  new  discoveries  and  in- 
ventions is  well  illustrated  by  the  business  his- 
tory of  the  United  States  in  general  during  the  last 
half  century.  The  influence  of  electrical  invention 
on  the  consumption  of  copper  and  of  the  automobile 
and  motor  boat  on  the  demand  for  gasoline  has 
been  referred  to  in  another  place  in  this  volume. 
Both  of  these  causes  have  united  in  advancing 
another  product  from  a  position  of  subordinate  in- 
terest to  a  place  of  prime  importance  in  the  com- 
merce and  industry  of  this  city  and  country.  It 
is  its  uses  for  insulation  and  as  a  resilient  covering 
for  wheel  tires  that  have  wrought  the  present  com- 
mercial importance  of  the  rubber  trade.  As  these 
causes  have  operated  with  constantly  increasing 
demand  upon  rubber  resources,  the  production  of 
rubber  was  stimulated  by  the  opening  of  new 
plantations  in  the  producing  districts,  but  though 
the  supplies  have  increased  the  demand  has  also 
mcreased  and  prices  advanced  even  before  the  war. 
Since  then  the  demand  of  belligerents  has  been 
added  and  the  prices  have  soared  still  higher. 

New  York  leads  the  country  as  a  port  and  mar- 
ket for  crude  rubber.  Rubber  imports  into  the 
United  States  amounted  to  $155,044,790  in  the 
year  1916,  and  of  this  large  amount  practically  all 
came  through  the  port  of  New  York.  Most  of 
the  rubber  imported  to  this  country  comes  from 
London,  which  receives  its  supply  from  Singapore, 
but  recently  there  has  been  an  increase  in  direct 
shipments  from  Singapore  to  this  port,  thereby 
avoiding  the  submarine  peril.  The  grades  of  rub- 
ber, in  the  order  of  quantity  imported,  for  the  year 
1916  were  in  tons  as  follows:  Plantations,  86,53!  ; 
Paras,  22,060;  Africans,  3,591;  Centrals,  I  ,- 
768;  Guayule,  1,140;  Manicoba  and  all  others, 
1,519;  total,  II  6.609  tons. 

The  trade  in  manufactured  rubber  goods  of  all 
kinds,  centering  in  New  York,  forms  a  very  im- 
portant part  of  the  entire  trade.     In  the  metropol- 


itan district,  which  includes  Newark  and  other 
near-by  towns,  are  large  factories  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  hard  and  soft  rubber  goods  for 
household,  industrial  end  mechanical  purposes. 
In  rubber  tires  for  automobiles,  which  has  ad- 
vanced to  first  place  among  the  industries  consum- 
ing rubber,  the  city  is  either  headquarters  or  prin- 
cipal distributing  center  for  the  leading  manufactur- 
ers. The  rubber  tire  business,  both  in  pneumatic 
and  solid  tires,  grows  from  year  to  year  by  leaps 
and  bounds.  •  For  automobiles,  experience  seems  to 
have  fully  demonstrated  the  great  superiority,  over 
any  other  tire,  of  an  inflated  tube  which  gives  to 
the  car's  motion  ease  and  resiliency  to  a  de- 
gree possible  in  no  other. 

In  former  years  the  source  of  supply  of  crude 
rubber  was  precarious,  and  depended  to  large  de- 
gree upon  the  gathering  of  wild  rubber  from  the 
forests  of  the  Amazon  and  elsewhere.  While 
the  quality  known  as  Para  rubber  is  the  highest, 
the  supply  was  subject  to  fluctuations  and 
uncertainties.  Therefore,  large  importing  and 
manufacturing  interests  hit  upon  the  expedient 
of  acclimating  and  naturalizing  Brazilian  rubber 
trees  in  Sumatra,  Ceylon,  Malaga  and  other 
countries  of  middle  Asia,  and  large  plantations 
were  set  out  some  years  ago  which  are  now  yielding 
large  quantities  of  highest  quality  rubber  in  sub- 
stantial and  increasing  quantities  where  there  is 
cheap  labor  and  abundant  territory  to  operate  in. 
In  this  way  the  trade  has  fortified  itself  to  measur- 
ably meet  the  constantly  increasing  demand  for 
rubber  goods.  The  war  has  put  a  considerable 
pressure  on  New  York  manufacturers  and  ex- 
porters of  rubber  goods  so  that  sales  of  rubber 
boots  and  shoes,  rubberized  clothing,  rubber  me- 
chanical goods,  rubber  hose,  rubber  tires  and  many 
other  varieties  of  goods  tax  the  resources  of  the 
market  to  their  utmost  present  capacity. 

Hard  rubber  goods  vulcanized  by  a  process  dis- 
covered by  Charles  Goodyear  and  since  greatly 


200 


NEIV    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


improNcd,  now  embrace  an  extensive  range  ol  man- 
ufacturers of  utensils  and  fancy  articles,  the  manu- 
facture of  which  is  carried  on  in  factories  imme- 
diately tributary  to  New  York  and  forms  a  large 
and  important  factor  m  the  extensive  rubber  busi- 
ness of  New  York. 

For  msulation  of  wires,  cables  and  electrical 
apparatus  the  uses  of  rubber  are  manifold  and  im- 
l^ortant.  For  this  and  other  purposes  the  Eu- 
ropean War  has  brought  a  demand  for  this  mate- 
rial which,  with  large  orders  also  from  neutral 
countries,  has  made  the  export  business  an  impor- 
tant feature  of  the  trade.  It  is  one  of  the  branches 
which,  after  the  high  pressure  demands  of  war  are 
withdrawn,  will  aid  in  finding  an  equilibrium  for 
the  readjustment  of  the  rubber  business  on  a 
peace  basis  that  shall  retain  much  of  the  interna- 
tional trade  that  New  York  has  attached  to  itself 
in  the  past  three  years  and  create  a  starting  point 
for  greater  and  more  permanent  development. 

The  local  industry  in  the  manufacture  of 
miscellaneous  rubber  goods  is  enumerated  in 
the  United  States  manufacturing  census  for 
1 91 4  as  amounting  to  $11,727,000  for  "rub- 
ber goods  not  elsewhere  specified."     This  does 


not  nearly  cover  all  the  rubber  goods  manufactured 
in  the  metropolitan  district  for  there  is  another 
classification  in  that  census  of  "belting  and  hose, 
woven  and  rubber,"  the  output  of  which  in  1914 
reached  a  value  of  $10,907,000.  But  the  local- 
ly produced  merchandise  is  by  no  means  the  most 
important  part  of  the  rubber  goods  output  handled 
m  the  domestic  and  overseas  trade  of  New  York. 
Many  of  the  most  important  rubber  interests,  not- 
ably that  of  the  manufacture  of  automobile  tires,  the 
large  factories  of  which  are  located  in  the  Middle 
Western  States,  have  their  products  sold  to  Ameri- 
can dealers  or  exported  to  foreign  markets  by  estab- 
lishments having  their  headquarters  in  New  York. 

The  executive  offices  of  these  corporations  are  in 
many  cases  located  in  New  York  because  a  large 
concern  wishing  to  establish  a  world  wide  domestic 
trade  and  an  export  business  can  do  so  better 
m  the  metropolis  best  prepared  to  handle  this  trade 
and  also  being  the  central  market  handling  near- 
ly three-fourths  of  the  crude  rubber  which  forms 
the  raw  material  of  this  important  industry.  1  hat 
is  why  New  York  includes  among  its  distinctions 
that  of  being  the  leading  rubber  and  rubber  goods 
market  of  the  United  States. 


HENDERSON  &  KORN 


The  hrm  of  Henderson  &  Korn,  importers  of 
crude  rubber  and  other  products  from  Central 
and  South  America  and  the  Far  East,  has  been 
wonderfully  successful  since  it  was  organized,  Au- 
gust I,  1909,  and  the  large  increase  in  business 
is  unquestionably  due  to  the  knowledge  of  the  part- 
ners, acquired  by  frequent  visits  to  the  far  away 
fields  from  which  the  products  are  secured. 
Francis  R.  Henderson,  senior  member  of  the  firm, 
was  born  in  Port  Chester,  N.  Y.,  June  5,  1864, 
and  has  been  connected  with  the  rubber  trade  since 
1879. 

He  makes  frequent  trips  to  Europe  and  keeps 
in  close  touch  with  the  foreign  markets,  through 
connection  with  the  best  producing  houses  abroad. 
Earnest  A.  Korn,  the  other  member  of  the 
firm,  was  born  in  Meiningen,  Germany,  Janu- 
ary 30,  1873.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1893 
and  four  years  later  entered  the  importing  and 
exporting  trade.  He  knows  the  tropics  almost 
as  well  as  he  does  New  York.     He  has  made  fre- 


quent trips  to  Para  and  has  journeyed  up  the  Ama- 
zon River  for  1 ,000  miles,  thoroughly  familiariz- 
ing himself  with  the  goods  the  firm  handles  and  get- 
ting in  close  touch  with  the  producing  firms  in  that 
far-off  country. 

He  has  also  made  two  trips  to  Ceylon  and  the 
Malay  States  and  the  knowledge  gained  by  these 
visits  is  of  inestimable  value  in  securing  the  best 
possible  products.  Henderson  &  Korn  specialize 
in  crude  rubber,  which  they  sell  direct  to  man- 
ufacturers throughout  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada. They  maintain  an  office  in  Akron,  Ohio, 
the  centre  of  the  rubber  industry,  from  which  they 
distribute  the  rubber  to  automobile  and  other 
manufacturers  throughout  the  Middle  West.  The 
New  York  office  of  the  firm  is  at  82  Beaver 
Street. 

Since  the  above  was  written  the  firm  of  Hen- 
derson &  Korn  has  been  dissolved,  Mr.  Korn  re- 
tiring, and  the  business  continues  as  before  but 
under  the  name  of  F.  R.  Henderson  &  Co. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


201 


L.  LITTLEJOHN  &  CO..  INC. 


The  commission  house  of  L.  Littlejohn  &  Co., 
Inc.,  is  one  of  the  largest  handlers  of  East  India 
goods  in  New  York  City.  Nearly  all  important 
products  are  dealt  in  through  the  company's  con- 
nections in  the  Far  East  and  a  specialty  is  made 
of  East  India  rubber,  which  in  recent  years  has 
largely  superseded  the  Para  product.  The  busi- 
ness was  incorporated  January  I,  1916.  Lomax 
Littlejohn,  President  of  the  company,  was  born  m 
Liverpool,  England,  October  14,  1841,  and  came 
to  New  York  in  1851,  his  father  having  estab- 
lished himself  as  an  importer  of  iron  and  metals  in 
1848.  He  entered  his  father's  office  in  185  7, 
and  subsequently  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
D.   Littlejohn  &  Co.,  which  conducted   a  large 


Lomax  Littlejohn 


business  with  the  Eastern  States  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, shipments  being  made  to  the  latter  port  by 
sailing  vessel  via  Cape  Horn  from  Liverpool. 
Importations  of  iron  gradually  declined,  owing  to 
the  competition  of  the  American  manufacturers, 
and  in  conjunction  with  some  American  capitalists 
and  ex-President  Juarez  of  Mexico,  he  entered 
into  an  agreement  to  develop  large  tin  concessions 
in  Durango.  The  death  of  General  Juarez 
caused  the  enterprise  to  be  abandoned,  and  in 
1876  he  joined  Mesirs.  James  R.  Townsend  & 
Co.,  in  the  East  India  business,  which  firm  was 
succeeded  by  Littlejohn  &  Parsons,  and  subse- 
quently became  L.  Littlejohn  &  Co.  The  Secre- 
tary,  R.   M.   Littlejohn,   was  born  in  Flushing, 


R.  M.  Littlejohn 


L.  I.,  July  7,  1874,  and  has  spent  his  entire 
commercial  life  with  the  present  concern.  He  is 
thoroughly  conversant  with  the  business  and  looks 
after  the  regular  trade.     In  this  he  is  assisted  by 


W.  E.  Bruyn 


202 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


Ills  tallicr.  who,  while  iiol  as  atti\e  as  lormcrly  in 
the  firm's  affairs,  is  still  to  be  found  at  his  desk 
every  day.  The  Treasurer,  W.  E.  Bruyn,  was 
born  in  Rosedale,  Ulster  County,  N.  Y.  He 
joined  the  firm  in  1910,  to  take  charge  of  the 
East  India  Rubber  Department,  and  this  branch 
has  become  a  most  important  one.  L.  Littlejohn 
&  Co.,  Inc.  has  commodious  offices  at  138  Front 
Street,  and  employs  a  large  staff  of  stenographers 
and  clerks  in  the  handling  of  the  extensive  busi- 
ness. 


HAGEMEYER  &  BRUNN. 

Among  the  successful  and  leading  exporting  and 
importing  houses  of  New  York  City  is  that  ot 
Hagemeyer  &  Brunn,  of  which  Ewart  M.  Brunn 
is  the  sole  surviving  partner.  I  he  business  was 
first  established  in  1858,  by  J.  W.  Brunn,  grand- 
father of  the  present  member,  who  in  1859  asso- 
ciated with  1'.  E.  Hagemeyer  in  the  formation 
of  the  firm  of  Hagemeyer  &  Brunn.  Mr.  Hage- 
meyer died  in    1 89 1 ,   and  upon  the  withdrawal 


Ewart  M.  Brunn 


of  C.  F.  Brunn,  a  son  ol  the  founder,  who  had 
been  admitted  to  the  firm  sometime  previously,  a 
new  partnership  was  created  which  included  J.  W. 
Brunn,  P.  Bertuch,  and  Lincoln  and  Ewart  M. 
Brunn,  respectively  son  and  grandson  of  the  orig- 
inal member.  J.  W.  Brunn  died  in  1907,  and 
upon  the  subsequent  retirement  of  Mr.  Bertuch 
and  Lincoln  Brunn,  the  business  was  continued  by 


Ewart  M.  Brunn,  under  llie  original  linn  name. 
At  the  period  when  the  business  was  founded, 
New  York's  foreign  trade  had  not  assumed  large 
proportions  and  it  required  close  application  and 
sound  executive  judgment  for  a  new  firm  to  suc- 
ceed in  the  line.  Both  Mr.  Hagemeyer  and  Mr. 
Brunn  possessed  the  necessary  qualities,  as  the 
success  and  longevity  of  the  house  attests.  Tlie 
business  has  grown  to  large  proportions  and  the 
products  of  many  South  American  countries  are 
handled.  These  include  cocoa,  nuts  and  hides, 
while  a  specialty  is  made  of  crude  rubber,  both 
natural  and  plantation.  The  export  goods  handled 
consists  of  all  products  of  the  United  States.  Mr. 
Brunn's  long  experience  and  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  trade  place  him  in  a  position  to  success- 
fully negotiate  both  the  foreign  and  domestic 
business,  which  has  increased  materially  the  last 
few  years.  Hagemeyer  &  Brunn's  trade  territory 
covers  the  entire  United  States  and  Canada  and 
the  imported  products  are  sold  through  brokers 
and  to  manufacturers  direct.  The  offices  of  the 
firm  are  in  the  Produce  Exchange  Building. 


CHARLES  T.  WILSON  CO.,  INC. 

The  house  of  Charles  T.  Wilson  Co.,  Inc., 
which  was  organized  to  take  over  the  crude  rub- 
ber business  of  Charles  T.  Wilson,  is  composed 
of  Charles  T.  Wilson,  President  and  Treasurer; 
Henry  Perlish,  Vice-President;  C.  E.  Thornall, 
Secretary,  and  Lloyd  M.  Trafford,  Assistant 
Treasurer.  The  concern  is  a  large  importer  of 
plantation  rubber  from  the  East  Indies  and  also  of 
Mexican  and  African  rubber.  It  has  direct  con- 
nections with  Wilson,  Holgate  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  of 
London  and  Wilson,  Holgate  &  Co.,  Far  East, 
Ltd.,  of  Singapore.  Straits  Settlements,  through 
which  much  of  the  foreign  business  is  done.  An 
office  is  also  maintained  in  Akron.  Ohio. 

The  Charles  T.  Wilson  Co.,  Inc.,  markets  the 
output  of  the  only  crude  rubber  produced  in  the 
United  States.  This  comes  from  a  rubber  shrub 
which  grows  wild  on  the  American  side  of  the 
Rio  Grande  and  is  converted  into  commer- 
cial rubber  by  the  Border  Rubber  Co.,  in  a 
large  plant  at  Marathon,  Texas,  the  annual  output 
being  100,000  pounds.  The  trade  territory  of 
Charles  T.  Wilson  Co.,  Inc.,  covers  the  entire 
United  States  and  Canada,  the  product  going 
principally  to  manufacturers.  The  house  has  a 
sales  force  of  its  own  although  sales  are  frequently 
made  through  brokers.  The  offices  of  the  com- 
pany are  at  56  Wall  Street. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


203 


Xavier  W.  Obalski 


OBALSKI  & 

Obalski  &  Sweeney,  Inc.,  dealers  in  and  im- 
porters of  crude  rubber,  with  offices  at  59  Pearl 
Street,  was  chartered  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  New  York,  May,  1915,  in  succession  to  the 
firm  of  Obalski  &  Sweeney,  which  was  established 
in  March,  191  1.  The  President  of  the  company, 
Edward  C.  Sweeney,  Jr.,  was  born  in  St.  Pierre, 
Miquelon,  in  1883.  He  was  educated  at  the 
College  Colonial  des  Isles,  St.  Pierre  and 
Miquelon,  and  began  his  business  career  in  this 
country  in  1899,  with  the  United  States  &  Hayti 
Cable  Co.,  of  which  company  his  father  is  Vice- 
President. 

He  was  associated  with  banking  interests  from 
1904  until  1909,  when  he  started  in  the  im- 
porting business  and  formed  his  present  connection 
two  years  later.  Xavier  W.  Obalski,  who  is 
Treasurer  and  Secretary  of  the  company,  is  a  native 
of  Nantes,  France,  where  he  was  born  in  1881. 


Edward  C.  Sweeney,  Jr. 


SWEENEY,  INC. 

He  received  his  education  at  Lycee  Charlemagne, 
Paris,  and  spent  a  part  of  his  early  life  in  Para 
and  Manaos,  Brazil,  where  he  became  familiar 
with  the  South  American  customs  and  trade  con- 
ditions. He  was  for  three  years  connected  with 
the  old  firm  of  Denis  Cronan  Fils  of  Brazil,  of 
which  his  father  was  a  member,  at  the  head  office 
in  Nantes.  Thoroughly  equipped  in  the  business, 
he  came  to  this  country  and  associated  with  Mr. 
Sweeney  in  the  importation  of  crude  rubber. 
Obalski  &  Sweeney,  Inc.,  has  been  very  successful. 
The  company  has  a  capitalization  of  $100,000, 
with  a  surplus  equally  large.  It  has  direct 
connections  with  all  the  rubber  producing  countries 
throughout  the  world  and  its  sales  to  rubber  manu- 
facturers in  every  section  of  the  United  States 
and  Canada  runs  into  millions  of  dollars  annually. 
A  corps  of  salesmen  is  employed  and  a  large 
volume  of  business  is  also  done  through  brokers. 


204 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NFAV 


ARNOLD  ZEISS. 
The  firm  of  Arnold  &  Zeiss,  dealers  in  crude 
rubber,  with  offices  at  277  Broadway  and  braniihes 
in  Akron,  Ohio,  in  the  center  of  the  tire  belt, 
and  at  Boston,  Mass.,  where  rubber  is  extensively 


William  J.  Kelly 


used,  is  composed  of  Albert  Zeiss  and  William 
J.  Kelly  as  genera]  partners  and  Heilbut,  Symons 
&  Co.,  established  in  London,  England,  in  I  850, 
as  special  partners.  Through  the  London  house 
the  firm  has  connections  in  every  rubber-growing 
section  of  the  world  and  handles  every  variety  of 
Para  and  Plantation  rubber.  It  has  representa- 
tives in  Para  and  Manaos,  Brazil,  and  in  Singa- 
pore and  Columbo,  the  ramifications  of  the  parent 
house  being  such  that  the  firm  of  Arnold  &  Zeiss 
are  in  a  position  to  secure  all  gr:des  of  rubber. 
The  trade  territory  of  the  firm  e.r.braces  the  entire 
United  States  and  Canada  and  the  product  is 
principally  sold  direct  to  manufacturers  and  through 
brokers  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Zeiss,  senior  member  of  the  firm,  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  rubber  trade  for  many  years  and 
Mr.  Kelly  has  also  had  long  experience  in  the 
business. 


I.  1.  JOHNS  l  ONL  ^  C  O. 
J.  r.  Johnstone,  trading  as  J.  T.  Johnstone 
&  Co.,  is  one  of  the  large  dealers  in  crude  rubber 
in  New  York  City.  Mr.  Johnstone  was  born  in 
England,  where  he  was  for  a  long  time  connected 
with  the  rubber  trade  and  learned  every  detail  of 
the  business.  Upon  coming  to  New  York  in 
1910,  he  established  his  present  business,  the  suc- 
cess of  which  is  unquestionably  due  to  his  profound 
knowledge  of  rubber  and  trade  conditions.  He  is 
agent  and  correspondent  of  L.  Sutro  &  Co.  of 
London  and  the  East,  who  are  conceded  to  be 
the  largest  dealers  in  rubbei  in  the  world.  This 
firm  is  old  and  wealthy  and  has  vast  ramifications 
that  enables  it  to  buy  advantageously  in  every  rub- 
ber producing  country.  The  rubber  handled  by 
J.  I  .  Johnstone  &  Co.  i?  mostly  plantations  coming 
from  the  Straits  Settlements,  the  Federated  Malay 
States,  Java  and  Ceylon.  The  product  is  sold 
direct  to  manufacturers  throughout  tlie  United 
States   and   Canada,    and   Mr.   Johnstone,  who 


J.  T.  Johnstone 


makes  frequent  trips  to  the  rubber  purchasins: 
centres,  is  personally  acquainted  with  a  large  ma- 
jority of  the  manufacturers  who  use  the  product. 
The  offices  of  the  firm  are  at  22  William  Street. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


205 


George  E.  Pell 

PELL  & 

One  of  the  younger  firms  that  has  achieved  suc- 
cess in  the  rubber  trade  is  Pell  &  Dumont,  of 
68  Broad  Street.  This  firm  was  organized  July 
1.  1915,  by  George  E.  iPell  and  Louis  W. 
Dumont,  and  despite  its  youth  has  kept  pace  with 
the  older  houses  doing  a  general  brokerage  busi- 
ness in  all  grades  of  rubber.  The  trade  territory 
covered  by  the  firm  includes  the  entire  United 
States  and  Canada  and  a  branch  office  is  main- 
tained in  Akron,  Ohio.  George  E.  Pell,  senior 
member  of  the  firm,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  in 
1879,  and  from  1895  to  1898  was  with  the  firm 
of  Simpson  &  Beers,  rubber  brokers.  From  I  898 
until  1 902  he  was  with  the  New  York  Commer 
cial  Co.,  and  from  1902  to  1905  he  was  associ- 
ated with  Adelbert  H.  Alden,  Manaos,  Brazil. 
In  1 905-6  he  was  with  Gordon  &  Co.,  and 
J.  A.  Mendes  &  Co.  of  Manaos  and 
Para,  Brazil.  He  was  United  States  Con- 
sular Agent  at  Manaos  from  1902  until  1905 
and  upon  his  return  to  New  York  in  1906,  joined 
the  General  Rubber  Co.,  of  which  he  was 
Director  and  Assistant  General  Manager.  In 
1907  he  made  a  trip  through  the  Mexican  Guyale 
fields  and  in  1912  he  represented  the  Commercial 
Association  of  Para  at  the  Third  International 
Rubber  Exhibition  held  in  New  York  City.  Dur- 
ing 191  3  he  visited  Ceylon,  the  Straits  Settlements, 
Federated  Malay  States,  Sumatra,  and  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands.     Mr.  Pell  resigned  from  the  Gen- 


Louis  W.  Dumont 


DUMONT 

eral  Rubber  Co.,  in  1914,  to  start  in  the  rubber 
brokerage  business  for  himself  and  m  1915,  in 
association  with  Mr.  Dumont,  organized  the 
present  firm.  Mr.  Pell  is  married  and  has  two 
children. 

Mr.  Dumont  was  born  in  New  York  in  1886 
and,  like  his  partner,  has  spent  nearly  all  his  com- 
mercial life  in  the  rubber  business.  His  first  con- 
nection after  the  completion  of  his  education  was 
with  the  United  States  Rubber  Co.  He  then  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Consolidated  Stock  Ex- 
change, and  after  two  years  in  that  line  re- 
turned to  the  rubber  business  as  associate  of  A. 
\V.  Brunn,  of  New  York,  having  charge  of  the 
Akron  business.  Returning  to  New  York  he  or- 
ganized the  firm  of  Baldwin  &  Dumont,  with  an 
office  in  New  York  City  and  a  branch  in  Akron, 
and  upon  the  dissolution  of  that  firm,  formed  his 
present  connection.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  both 
members  of  the  firm  have  had  a  wide  experience 
in  the  trade  and  were  thoroughly  equipped  vvhen 
Pell  &  Dumont  entered  the  field.  This  means  a 
complete  knowledge  of  rubber  that  is  of  inesti- 
mable value  to  the  customers  of  the  firm.  The 
business  has  increased  steadily  since  the  formation 
of  the  firm  and  it  already  has  a  large  clientele  and 
an  enviable  reputation  throughout  the  country.  Mr. 
Pell  and  Mr.  Dumont  are  members  of  the  Rubber 
Trade  Association  and  the  Rubber  Club  of 
America. 


206 


WEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


MEYER 

The  firm  of  Meyer  &  Brown,  one  of  the  oldest 
engaged  in  the  importation  of  crude  rubber,  are 
the  successors  of  A.  T.  Morse  &  Co.,  who  con- 
ducted the  business  for  twenty-five  years.  Noth- 
ing but  crude  rubber  is  handled,  which  includes 
all  grades  from  Brazil,  four  plantation  grades  from 
the  Far  East  and  the  Central  American  product. 
These  goods  are  sold  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Canada  and  the  large  clientele  of  the  firm, 
resulting  from  years  of  satisfactory  dealing,  in- 
clude some  of  the  largest  manufacturing  concerns 


BROWN 

Meyer  became  sole  owner  of  the  business.  Mr. 
A.  H.  Brown  was  afterwards  given  an  interest 
in  the  business,  forming  the  firm  of  Meyer  & 
Brown,  of  which  he  is  now  a  full  partner. 

Like  his  partner,  Mr.  Brown  has  also  been 
connected  with  the  rubber  business  since  boyhood. 
Upon  leavmg  school  he  became  an  employee  of 
the  Boston  Ruljber  Shoe  Company  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  and  was  afterwards  associated  with  the 
General  Rubber  Company,  which  is  the  buying 
agent  of  the  United  States  Rubber  Co.,  and  re- 


Otto  Meyer 


in  the  country.  Mr.  Meyer,  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm,  has  spent  his  entire  business  life  in  the 
trade.  He  was  originally  engaged  m  this  line 
abroad  and  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  as  the  representative  of 
an  English  firm.  He  spent  eight  years  in  that 
city,  during  part  of  which  he  acted  as  agent  for 
A.  T.  Morse,  founder  of  the  business.  He  came 
to  New  York  as  an  employee  of  Mr.  Morse  and 
was  eventually  admitted  to  partnership,  the  firm 
becoming  A.  T.  Morse  &  Co.  Upon  the  retire- 
ment of  Mr.    Morse,    January     I,     1912,  Mr. 


Andrew  H.  Brown 

mained  in  his  position  with  that  company  until 
he  formed  the  connection  with  Mr.  Meyer.  Both 
members  of  the  firm,  therefore,  have  had  wide  ex- 
perience in  the  business  and  have  a  large  acquain- 
tance among  all  the  rubber  goods  manufacturers  of 
the  country.  Selling  goods  of  the  highest  stand- 
ard only  and  pursuing  a  policy  of  the  highest 
business  integrity  and  efficiency,  Meyer  &  Brown 
have  increased  the  trade  to  such  an  extent  that 
it  is  ranked  as  one  of  the  leading  firms  handling 
rubber  in  the  country.  The  offices  are  located  at 
35  South  William  Street. 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


207 


EDWARD  MAURER  CO.,  INC. 

Mr.  Edward  Maurer  was  born  in  Switzerland 
and  came  here  from  Mexico  in  1  886.  He  entered 
the  employ  of  Theo.  Herrmann,  one  of  the  oldest 
export  houses  in  New  York.  Leaving  Mr.  Herr- 
mann in  1893.  Mr.  Maurer  started  business  in  his 


own  name,  which  later  was  merged  with  the  Hay- 
tian  export  firm  of  H.  Wiebke  &  Co.,  under  Mr. 
Maurer's  management. 

In  1900  Mr.  Wiebke  withdrew  and  the  busi- 
ness was  continued  under  the  firm  of  Ed.  Maurer, 
taking  over  also  the  busmess  of  Theo.  Herrmann, 
with  Mr.  H.  V.  Herrmann  as  special  partner. 

About  1 905  Mr.  Maurer  became  interested 
with  Messrs.  Madero  &  Co.,  of  Mexico,  in  the 
extraction  of  Guayule  Rubber  and  represented 
them  exclusively  in  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Gradually  the  firm  made  connections  all  over  the 
world  for  the  import  of  every  grade  of  rubber. 

In  1913  the  business  of  Ed.  Maurer  was  incor- 
porated, the  general  Export  and  Import  business 
continuing  as  Ed,  Maurer,  Inc.,  while  the  Rubber 
business  was  incorporated  under  the  name  of  Ed- 
ward Maurer  Co.,  Inc.,  Mr.  Maurer  being  Presi- 
dent of  both.  Lately  the  necescary  formalities 
were  completed  to  merge  the  two  branches  into 
one,  the  Edward  Maurer  Co.,  Inc.,  having  bought 
all  the  stock  of  Ed.  Maurer,  Inc. 

The  firm  exports  to  Mexico,  Central  and  South 
America,  the  West  Indies,  East  Indies  and  Europe 
and  imports  all  principal  raw  products  from  these 
countries. 


ROBER  r  SOLTAU  &  CO.,  INC. 
The  firm  of  Robert  Soltau  &  Co.,  Inc.,  which 
manufactures  gutta  peicha  tissue,  commonly  re- 
ferred to  as  rubber  or  mending  tissue,  is  the  out- 
growth of  the  business  of  Robert  Soltau,  who  came 
to  this  country  from  Hamburg,  Germany,  in  1885. 
At  that  time  the  product,  originally  used  only  by 
clothing  manufacturers,  was  imported  from  France, 
but  in  1890  Mr.  Soltau  started  a  factory  here 
and  the  tissue  has  since  been  made  in  this  country. 
It  is  manufactured  from  crude  gutta  percha  by  a 
practically  secret  process  and  is  now  extensively 
used  by  the  shoe  and  millinery  trades,  in  hospitals 
for  surgical  dressings  and  in  paper  mills  and  on 
printing  presses,  where  quick  and  effective  patching 
is  sometimes  required  to  prevent  the  stoppage  of 
the  machinery.  The  firm's  offices  arc  located  at 
148  West  23rd  Street  and  the  product  is  sold 
all  over  the  United  States. 


Masonic  Temple 


CHAPTER  THIRTEEN 

As  an  Oil  Center 

Place  Held  by  New  York  in  Connection  With  the  Petroleum  Interest — 
Rapid  Increase  of  Trade  Due  to  New  Uses  of  Petroleum. 


THERE  IS  no  other  natural  product  which  has 
so  rapidly  advanced  from  a  place  of  indiffer- 
ence to  a  point  of  prime  necessity  as  petroleum. 
Although  it  IS  said  that  petroleum  was  known  to  the 
ancients  and  was  used  in  the  walls  of  Babylon 
and  Nineveh,  and  was  in  Roman  times  brought 
from  Sicily  and  burned  in  lamps,  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  it  was  ever  applied  to  any  of  its  mod- 
ern uses  until  the  middle  of  the  Nineteenth  Cen- 
tury. A  French  Franciscan  missionary  refers  to 
oil  springs  found  in  what  is  now  the  northwestern 
region  of  Pennsylvania,  and  as  the  crude  oil  seeped 
out  at  many  places  in  that  State  its  presence  was 
quite  well  known  to  many  of  the  early  settlers.  It 
was  used  for  medicinal  purposes  as  a  lotion  or 
liniment  long  before  anyone  thought  of  using  it 
lor  light,  heat  and  power;  but  in  1853  a  sugges- 
tion of  Dr.  Brewer  that  it  might  be  used  for  lub- 
ricating and  illuminating  purposes  aroused  some  in- 
terest. In  1854  the  Pennsylvania  Rock  Oil 
Company  was  organized  and  drilled  a  well  which 
yielded  from  400  to  1,000  gallons  per  day.  The 
company  was  not  a  success  and  in  1859  Colonel 
E.  L.  Drake  leased  land  from  that  company  upon 
which  he  brought  in  a  productive  well.  Methods 
having  been  devised  for  purifying  the  oil  and 
lamps  constructed  to  burn  it,  a  market  was  created 
and  the  oil  boom  was  on,  and  by  the  following 
year  more  than  one  hundred  acres  bordering  on 
Oil  Creek  had  been  proven  productive. 

Methods  of  refining  were  constantly  improved, 
and  methods  of  distribution,  chiefly  by  pipe  lines, 
devised,  and  kerosene  entered  the  list  of  staple 
commodities.  Gasoline,  separated  from  kerosene 
to  make  it  safe  to  use,  was  a  drug  in  the  market, 
the  uses  for  it  being  very  restricted,  the  first  found 
for  it  requiring  any  considerable  amount  being  in 
gasoline  cooks-stoves  which  enjoyed  a  vogue  for 
several  years  but  later  fell  into  disrepute  because 
of  accidents  resulting  from  their  use. 


As  the  region  of  production  was  for  a  consid- 
erable period  confined  to  a  comparatively  small 
area  in  Pennsylvania  the  business  was  localized 
very  largely  in  Oil  City,  with  the  bulk  of  the 
refining  centered  in  Cleveland,  Ohio. 

The  Standard  Oil  Company,  which  became  the 
overwhelmingly  important  part  of  the  entire  oil  in- 
dustry, established  headquarters  in  New  York,  and 
as  the  years  have  passed  the  city  has  acquired  a 
constantly  expanding  mastery  of  the  business.  In 
recent  years,  though  the  Standard  Oil  interests 
represent  a  much  larger  share  in  the  general  pe- 
troleum business  than  any  other  organization,  it  is 
relatively  a  much  more  diminished  part  of  the  oil 
interests  than  it  was  a  few  years  ago. 

When  mechanical  science  developed  engines  for 
use  with  kerosene  and  more  especially  with  gaso- 
line as  fuel  a  field  of  expanded  usefulness  was 
opened  up  for  petroleum,  especially  since  the  ap- 
plication of  gasoline  to  use  as  the  ideal  fuel  for 
furnishing  the  motive  power  of  automobiles.  An- 
other important  part  of  the  petroleum  industry  is 
that  of  supplanting  coal  in  many  applications  by  land 
and  sea  as  a  fuel  for  use  under  steam  boilers. 
This  is  a  special  use  for  the  heavy  oils  of  Mexico, 
Texas  and  other  fields  in  which  the  oil  product  has 
an  asphaltic  base.  The  use  of  heavy  oils  for  this 
purpose  has  greatly  increased  with  the  invention 
of  improved  burners  to  secure  perfect  and  equable 
conbustion  of  the  oil.  It  was  formerly  necessary, 
for  instance,  in  order  to  secure  the  proper  vaporiza- 
tion and  combustion  of  the  oil  to  use  a  spray  of 
water  or  steam  to  aid  in  the  process  of  vaporiza- 
tion, but  several  new  types  of  burners  are  sup- 
plied with  mechanical  means  for  vaporization, 
without  need  of  a  steam  jet. 

After  Pennsylvania,  West  Virginia  entered  the 
field  as  a  part  of  the  same  geological  formation  of 
oil-bearing  lands  and  then  followed  Ohio,  Indiana 
and  Illinois.    Texas  and  Louisiana  came  in  about 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


209 


the  close  of  the  Nineteenth  Century  with  vast  re- 
sources of  the  heavy  oils  of  the  Coastal  Plain,  of 
which  the  first  well  of  the  Beaumont  field  yielded 
75,000  barrels  a  day,  spouting  the  liquid  in  a  six- 
inch  column  to  a  height  of  1  60  feet,  and  nine  days 
elapsed  before  the  flow  was  brought  under  control. 
The  Beaumont  oil  is  a  dark  asphaltic  oil  with 


purposes,  has  been  a  great  boon  to  California, 
furnishing  a  vast  supply  of  cheap  fuel  which  has 
been  the  chief  stimulant  to  the  profitable  establish- 
ment of  many  important  industries  on  the  Pacific 
Coast. 

The  Mid-Continent  field,  chiefly  comprised  in 
Oklahoma,    Kansas    and    the    "Panhandle"  of 


Standard  Oil  Building,  New  York 


much  sulphur  and  is  obtained  at  a  depth  of  1 ,000 
feet.  Further  north,  around  Corsicana  in  Texas, 
and  in  Louisiana  in  the  region  from  Nachitoches 
to  Shreveport,  lighter  grades  of  oil  are  found. 

California  has  extensive  oil  fields  of  large  pro- 
duction, principally  in  the  Southern  part  of  the 
State,  with  Los  Angeles  as  the  center.  This  oil, 
also  of  asphaltic  base  and  chiefly  valuable  for  fuel 


mous  "26  Broadway" 


Texas,  has  been  the  great  oil  sensation.  In  Okla- 
homa, particularly,  the  interest  was  intensified  by 
the  discovery  and  exploitation  of  the  great  Cushing 
pool  with  its  unequalled  production  of  the  lighter 
oil  upon  which  variety  of  petroleum  for  the  present 
the  world  depends  almost  wholly  for  its  supply 
of  gasoline.  It  was  an  opportune  discovery.  The 
uses  of  gasoline  were  enumerated  in  the  New  In- 


210 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


lernational  Enc\tloiJac'cJia,  published  iii  I9(J3.  as 
being  "employed  in  ihe  extraction  of  oil  from  oil 
seeds,  in  carbureting  coal  gas,  in  gasoline  lamps, 
sta\es  and  plumbers'  lamps" — a  fair  description 
m  that  day.  But  its  introduction  into  use  in  com- 
bustion engines  brought  about  the  popularization  of 
the  automobile  and  gave  to  parafline  base  petroleum 
a  demand  that  would  long  ago  have  swamped 
the  production  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  West 
X'irginia  wells  of  the  Appalachian  field,  long  the 
sole  source  of  supply  of  gasoline.  The  Mid- 
Continent  field,  and  especially  the  Cushing  pool, 
relieved  that  situation  and  normalized  the  supply 
of  gasoline  and  its  increasing  use  for  automobile 
propulsion. 

Other  fields  have  been  opened  u\)  in  \shich  paraf- 
fine  base  oils  are  produced,  notably  the  Irwine 
and  other  fields  in  Kentucky,  which  may  be  fairly 
assigned  as  new  discoveries  in  the  Appalachian 
group.  More  recent  interest  is  largely  centered  on 
Wyoming,  a  State  which  seems  to  be  almost  widely 
underlaid  with  petroliferous  sands  and  shales.  Al- 
though the  presence  of  petroleum  in  Wyoming  had 
long  been  known,  its  remoteness  from  means  of 
transportation  discouraged  exploitation  until  recent 
years.  Since  1912,  however,  the  State  has  en- 
tered the  recorded  petroleum  statistics  and  has  since 
increased  its  production  until  it  now  has  an  out- 
put in  excess  of  a  rate  of  ten  million  barrels 
yearly.  Most  of  the  production  has  been  from 
The  Salt  Creek  field  heretofore,  but  recent  de- 
velopments of  large  production  in  The  Big  Muddy 
field  have  greatly  added  to  the  standing  of  the 
State  in  oil  production.  There  are  now  recognized 
eight  well-defined  and  proven  oil  fields  of  the 
State,  although  the  presence  of  apparently  well- 
defined  oil  anticlines  is  by  no  means  confined  to 
these  eight.  The  oil  of  Wyoming  is  largely  a 
light  paraffine-base  oil  of  phenomenally  large  gas- 
oline content. 

New  York  is  the  nerve-center  of  the  petroleum 
interest  of  the  country.  In  the  early  days  of  oil 
development  after  the  oil  discoveries  of  the  Oil 
C  reek  region  of  Pennsylvania,  the  financing  of  oil 
development  and  the  business  of  oil  distribution  was 
largely  centered  in  New  York.  Transportation 
was  first  in  oil-tank  cars,  but  later  pipe  lines 
brought  the  oil  to  New  York  harbor,  the  reservoirs 
being  chiefly  in  Jersey  City  and  Bayonne,  New 
Jersey,  but  the  central  offices  of  the  producing  and 
distributing,  and  especially  of  the  exporting  trade 
in  petroleum  products,  were  in  New  York.  The 
old  Petroleum  Exchange  was  the  center  of  activ- 
ities in  the  handling  of  oil  securities  in  the  earlier 
days  of  the  industry,  but  in  1885,  with  other  min- 
ing and  speculative  boards,  was  combined  in  The 
Consolidated  Stock  and  Petroleum  Exchange  of 
New  York.  Most  of  the  oil  stocks  and  securities 
find  in  New  York  their  principal  market,  and  with 


the  exception  of  some  of  the  large  companies  whose 
stocks  are  listed  on  the  New  York  Stock  Ex- 
change the  transactions  are  very  largely  on  the 
New  York  Curb  Market,  which  has  been  for 
years  the  principal  sales  arena  of  the  various 
Standard  Oil  issues. 

The  activity  of  the  petroleum  industry  has  been 
especially  great  since  the  beginning  of  the  Euro- 
pean War.  In  the  movement  of  supplies  the 
motor  car,  the  "tank"  war  machine  and  many  other 
of  the  activities  of  warfare  call  for  a  vast  supply 
of  gasoline.  Of  equal  importance  in  connection 
with  war  activities  is  an  ample  supply  of  fuel  oil. 
As  a  matter  of  efficiency  and  economy  in  fuel  there 
has  come  an  increasing  use  of  fuel  oils,  such  as 
arc  produced  by  the  oil  wells  of  the  Coastal  plain 
of  Texas  and  Louisiana,  and  in  the  California 
field,  but  more  especially  by  the  Tampico  and 
Panuco  fields  of  Mexico,  largely  developed  by 
British,  Dutch  and  American  capital,  and  in  large 
degree  tributary  to  the  New  York  market. 

Oil  is  now  used  under  steam  boilers  of  large 
ocean-going  ships,  British  and  American  war  ves- 
sels of  the  larger  class  and  ships  of  all  sizes. 
The  advantages  of  oil  are  its  uniformity,  maintain- 
ing without  fluctuation  the  desired  degree  of  heat 
under  the  boiler;  economy  of  bunker  space,  utiliz- 
ing, in  many  vessels,  the  space  between  the  in- 
ner and  outer  "skin"  of  the  vessels,  thus  releasing 
much  valuable  space  for  freight  or  passenger  ac- 
commodation ;  greater  cleanliness,  doing  away  with 
cinders,  dust  and  smoke;  longer  life  of  boilers  due 
to  more  perfect  combustion;  greatly  reduced  stok- 
ing force,  the  feed  being  largely  automatic  and 
only  about  one-fifth  as  many  men  being  required; 
gain  of  time  in  bunkerirs  which  can  be  effected 
in  a  very  brief  time  without  in  any  way  in- 
terfering with  the  loading  or  unloading  of  cargoes; 
quicker  voyages,  due  to  uniform  heat  which  enables 
high  speed  to  be  obtained  without  abnormal  effort, 
and  without  the  slowing  down  due  to  the  opening 
of  doors  to  feed  the  fire.  The  efficiency  of  oi! 
burning  marine  plants  has  been  greatly  increased 
by  improved  burners,  and  in  some  of  the  latest 
installations  this  improvement  in  mechanism  is  so 
pronounced  that  the  plant  burns  Mexican  crude, 
without  treatment  and  with  the  most  satisfactory 
results. 

The  transformation  of  ships  from  coal-burning 
to  oil-burning  is  constantly  going  on,  and  there 
IS  much  of  the  same  tendency  in  reference  to  the 
use  of  oil  under  factory  boilers,  and  on  locomo- 
tives, and  in  Texas,  Mexico,  California  and  South 
America  many  oil-burning  locomotives  are  already 
in  use.  The  motor-boat  and  other  small  craft  re- 
quiring speed  are  large  users  of  gasoline,  being 
propelled,  like  the  majority  of  automobiles,  by 
combustion  engines  charged  with  gasoline. 

The  trade  in  petroleum  and  its  by-products  finds 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


211 


its  chief  center  in  New  "^'ork,  not  only  in  sup- 
plying domestic  demands  but  particularly  in  over- 
seas shipment,  which  is  conducted  principally  in 
tank  ships  built  especially  for  oil  transportation. 
The  chief  drawback  on  this  trade  has  been  the 
scarcity  of  tank  ships  which  were  grossly  inade- 
quate in  number  at  the  beginning  of  the  war 
period. 

The  demand  of  the  belligerents  for  gasoline  and 
fuel  oil  has  greatly  augmented  the  overseas  call 
on  the  petroleum  resources  of  America,  and  the 
building  of  tank  ships  has  been  greatly  stimulated 
so  that  although  tank  ships  have  been  treated  as  a 
shining  mark  by  the  marauding  German  subma- 


rines, the  number  of  these  useful  vessels  has  been 
materially  increased.  But  the  supply  of  tank 
ships  has  not  yet  reached  nearly  to  the  point  of  de- 
mand and  much  of  the  oil  shipping  movement  has 
had  to  depend  upon  the  archaic  method  of  ship- 
ment in  barrels.  The  increase  in  the  use  of  oil  tor 
fuel  under  boilers  is  a  permanent  movement  which 
will  be  more  and  more  of  a  factor  in  the  petroleum 
trade,  and,  as  a  corollary,  will  largely  increase 
the  production  of  tank  ships  when,  after  the  war, 
the  cost  of  ship-plates  comes  down  to  a  normal 
price  that  will  justify  extensive  operations  in  that 
branch  of  shipbuilding  directly  related  to  the  solu- 
tion of  petroleum  tran^por^ation  problems. 


Partial  View  of  Lower  Manhattan.    The  New  Municipal  Building  Looms  Large  Over  the  City  Hall 
and  City  Hall  Park.    The  Brooklyn,  Manhattan  and    Williamsburg  Bridges 
Are  Outlined  in  the  Background. 


212 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


EX-GOVERNOR,  CHARLES  N.  HASKELL  OF  OKLAHOMA 

President  of  the  Middle  States  Oil  Corporation — An  Enthusiast  on  Oklahoma's 

Oil  Resources. 


Hon.  Charles  N.  Haskell,  who  was  Governor 
of  Oklahoma  from  1907  until  1911,  tells  an  m- 
teresting  story  of  oil  production  in  that  State. 
His  personal  experience  in  dealing  with  the  oil 
question  there,  during  his  occupancy  of  the  Gov- 
ernor's chair,  was  in  his  official  work  in  assisting 
to  formulate  what  has  proven  to  be  an  excellent 
code  of  laws  regulating  and  stabilizing  the  oil 
industry  and  its  marketing  facilities.  After  re- 
tiring from  office  he  became  actively  interested 
in  developing  and  producing  oil.  He  is  enthusi- 
astic over  Oklahoma  as  an  oil  country  and  claims 
the  State  leads  the  Union  now,  as  it  has  for  sev- 
eral years,  usually  in  the  number  of  barrels  of  oil 
produced  annually,  and  especially  in  the  total  spil- 
ing value  of  the  oil.  He  claims  that  the  oil  crop 
in  Oklahoma  in  1917  will  bring  the  producer': 
over  one  hundred  and  sixty  million  dollars  of  good 
money.  Oklahoma  has  been  producing  oil  for  the 
last  seventeen  or  eighteen  years.  The  first  few 
years  he  terms  the  sweating  period,  beginning 
with  no  means  of  transportation  except  the  rail- 
roads, which  method  of  shipment  is  too  expensive 
to  make  oil  production  profitable;  but  he  states  the 
sweating  period  is  over.  The  territory  is  now 
supplied  with  a  number  of  large  long  distance  pipe 
lines  through  which  the  vast  majority  of  the  oil 
production  is  transported  to  distant  markets,  but 
it  took  time  to  secure  the  building  of  these  pipe 
lines.  From  none  at  all,  there  is  now  a  standard 
line  extending  from  Oklahoma  to  Whiting,  In- 
diana, a  standard  line  from  Oklahoma  to  the  great 
refineries  at  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana,  the  Texas 
Company's  line  from  Oklahoma  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico;  the  Sinclair  Line  from  Oklahoma  com- 
pleted to  Kansas  City  and  nearing  completion  to 
Chicago,  which  will  carry  oil  to  three  large  Sinclair 
refineries,  the  Gulf  Pipe  Line  from  Oklahoma 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  another  standard  line  from 
Oklahoma  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico;  the  Dougherty 
Company  Line  from  Oklahoma  to  the  refineries  at 
Gainesville,  Texas,  and  other  points  and  several 
smaller  lines.  This  means  permanent  and  econom- 
ic transportation  for  the  oil  production  of  Okla- 
homa, and  indicates  the  faith  that  these  large  com- 
panies ha\e  in  the  permanency  of  Oklahoma's  oil 
production   which   has  now  been   an  established 


industry  in  the  State  for  about  eighteen  years,  and 
many  wells  drilled  in  the  beginning  are  still  profit- 
able oil  producers.  The  oil  production  has  not  al- 
ways been  in  the  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars 
annual  income  for  the  people,  but  it  has  been 
an  immense  industry  for  several  years  and  many 
instances  of  prosperity  in  oil  are  present  in  the 
State.  He  tells  of  the  time  when  he  assumed 
the  duties  of  Governor  in  Oklahoma.  Many  of 
his  acquaintances  began  their  career  as  oil  pro- 
ducers. Among  them  McFarland,  Chapman,  Har- 
well and  Rogers  formed  the  McMann  Oil  Com- 
pany, beginning  with  a  few  thousand  dollars  cap- 
ital and  a  twenty-acre  lease  in  what  afterwards  be- 
came widely  known  as  the  Glenn  Pool  in  Creek 
County.  With  their  industry,  genius  and  small 
capital  they  made  additions  until  a  few  months  ago 
they  sold  a  part  of  their  accumulated  oil  producing 
properties  for  the  snug  sum  of  thirty-five  million 
dollars,  a  gratifying  result  to  men  worthy  of  good 
fortune.  About  the  same  time  the  Jones  Brothers, 
having  come  to  the  village  of  Bristow,  Creek  Coun- 
ty, from  Mississippi,  engaged  in  managing  the 
Frisco  Railroad  village  depot  agency  and  a  little 
real  estate  business,  and  with  an  integrity  and  in- 
dustry worthy  of  success,  but  with  mighty  little 
capital,  laid  the  foundation  for  their  oil  business, 
from  which  the  sale  of  a  portion  of  their  oil 
production  within  the  last  year  brought  them  ap- 
proximately twelve  million  dollars.  But  a  fe^^ 
years  ago  John  Markham  came  from  Pennsylvania 
to  the  oil  fields  of  Oklahoma  with  scarcely  a  grub 
stake.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  honesty, 
integrity  and  industry,  and  a  success  in  the  oi!  busi- 
ness. The  sale  of  two  producing  leases  aggregat- 
ing 320  acres  within  the  last  year  brought  him 
more  than  four  million  dollars — this  practically 
all  in  North  Oklahoma  field,  but  the  famouf 
Healdton  field  in  Southern  Oklahoma,  two  hun- 
dred miles  away,  must  not  be  overlooked.  Repre- 
senting some  clients  a  few  years  ago.  Gov.  Haskell 
paid  in  cash  over  seven  hundred  thousand  dol- 
lars for  an  eighty-acre  oil  lease.  This  was 
purchased  from  the  Healdton  Oil  &  Gas  Company 
made  up  of  Mr.  Doak,  Tom  Wade,  Dr.  Mont- 
gomery and  two  or  three  others  of  the  village  of 
Marlow.     Their    company    had   been  organized 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


213 


with  a  cash  capital  of  sixteen  thousand  dollars. 
Gov.  Haskell  did  not  buy  more  than  half  of  their 
property  in  this  purchase  and  yet  from  the  money 
pa:d  them  they  immediately  declared  a  cash  div- 
idend of  four  thousand  two  hundred  per  cent,  (not 
bad  for  the  village  of  Marlow).  J.  L.  Ham- 
mond, then  of  Lawton,  Oklahoma,  undertook  the 
building  of  a  short  line  railroad  from  Ardmore, 
Oklahoma,  to  the  Healdton  oil  fields,  which  was 
opened  in  1911,  securing  the  capital  from  John 
Ringling,  America's  great  showman.  While  he 
was  building  this  road,  which  cost  about  a  million 
and  a  half  dollars,  he  picked  up  an  oil  lease  here 
and  there  and  created  an  oil  producing  property 
which  was  valued  for  sale  in  April,  19;  7,  at 
$5,600,000.  These  are  a  few  instances  of  the 
operator's  end  of  the  oil  industry,  and  this  class 
of  men  has  not  been  selfish  in  its  prosperity; 
they  are  the  leading  citizens  of  the  State  and  are 
most  liberal  and  patriotic  in  everything  that  bene- 
fits Oklahoma  and  its  people. 

In  the  town  of  Muskogee,  where  Gov.  Haskell 
lived  for  many  years,  they  have  an  Indian 
Agency  where  the  affairs  of  the  five  Civilized 
Tribes  is  in  part  managed.  About  three  years 
ago  the  Indian  Agency  was  selling  at  public  sale 
the  unalloted  small  tracts  and  fractions  of  land 
in  the  Creek  Nation.  Of  course,  it  was  the  land 
that  was  left  after  the  Indians  had  made  their 
selection  of  what  they  considered  the  desirable 
land.  Up  in  the  Jack  Oak  Hills  of  the  western 
part  of  Creek  County  the  agent  was  offering  a  cer- 
tain 88-acre  tract  in  section  8,  Township  18  N. 
Range  7  East  bordering  the  Cimaron  River;  it 
certainly  was  not  worth  over  two  or  three  dollars 
an  acre.  A  Mr.  Musselman,  lately  arrived  at 
Muskogree  from  the  borders  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  was  an  industrious  and  thrifty  little  candy  and 
fruit  merchant,  desiring  to  actually  own  a  piece  of 
land.  He  knew  nothing  about  the  88  acres  of 
land  being  offered  and  which  was  located  some 
seventy  miles  from  Muskogee;  but  nevertheless  two 
dollars  and  a  quarter  an  acre  looked  cheap  to 
him,  and  he  bought  it  for  less  than  two  hundred 
dollars.  Shortly  afterwards  he  leased  this  piece 
of  land  for  oil  to  the  McMann  Oil  Company,  and 
later  when  they  developed  oil  upon  it  and  had  sev- 
eral wells  producing,  Mr.  Musselman's  income  ex- 
ceeded one  thousand  dollars  per  day  as  the  land 
owner's  royalty  from  the  oil  production.  Mr. 
Musselman  is  now  a  wealthy  and  highly  respected 
citizen  of  Muskogee.  In  the  same  neighborhood 
a  little  colored  girl  belonging  to  the  class  known 
as  Creek  Freedman  had  her  allotment  of  land  in 
that  locality,  an  eighty-acre  tract.  She  leased  it 
to  the  Jones  Brothers.  They  were  soon  paying 
her  one  thousand  two  hundred  dollars  per  day 
royalty  and  her  estate  today  is  worth  one-third 
of  a  million  dollars.  Little  Sarah  Rector  doesn't 
know  how  she  ever  came  to  be  rich,  but  she  is 


rich  just  the  same.  An  old  full-blood  Creek  In- 
dian residing  at  Checota  refused  to  select  his  own 
allotment  and  the  Dawes  Commission  assigned 
him  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in  this 
Jack  Oak  Region  of  Creek  County;  his  accumula- 
tion from  oil  up  to  the  middle  of  this  summer  was 
over  six  hundred  thousand  dollars  on  land  that 
without  oil  could  never  have  been  sold  for  four 
dollars  per  acre.  1  his  Indian  is  enjoying  life  ac- 
cording to  his  own  ideas  of  amusement.  Just  at 
present  he  owns  his  own  baseball  team  and  brass 
band  and  travels  with  them  from  town  to  town 
matching  all  comers,  but  even  this  does  not  keep 
his  bank  account  from  constantly  growing  as  the 
oil  flows  from  the  several  wells  upon  ^his  lease. 
For  oil  is  oil  you  know,  and  while  Oklahoma  pro- 
duces practically  thirty-five  to  forty  per  cent  of  all 
the  oil  of  the  United  States,  yet  the  constant  in- 
crease in  the  consumption  of  all  oil  products  as- 
sures a  good  average  increase  in  the  price  that  the 
producers  of  oil  will  receive  for  their  product.  As 
to  the  nature  of  oil  production  as  a  business,  it  is 
no  more  a  gamble  than  sewing  seed  in  the  hopes 
of  producing  a  crop  where  each  bushel  of  seed 
may  return  twelve  to  fifteen  bushels  in  the  har- 
vest. If  you  consult  the  statistics,  which  can  be 
had  from  the  proper  Bureau  of  the  Interior  De- 
partment at  Washington,  you  will  find  in  the  av- 
erage annual  statement  from  the  beginning  of  oil 
production  in  Oklahoma  to  the  present  time  that 
of  all  of  the  wells  drilled  not  over  fifteen  per 
cent  are  failures  and  eighty-five  per  cent  are  prof- 
itable for  the  production  of  oil  or  gas  or  both,  and 
the  oil  business  can  be  just  as  sensibly  and  safely 
conducted  as  a  business  proposition  as  any  ordinary 
kind  or  class  of  business.  Of  course,  there  are 
failures.  Not  all  of  the  producers  and  not  all  of 
the  land  owners  are  as  successful  as  fhose  al- 
ready mentioned.  Governor  Haskell  claims  he  can- 
not recall  a  single  man  in  all  the  oil  industry  of 
Oklahoma  who  has  stuck  to  his  job  and  conducted 
his  business  with  ordinary  energy  and  intelligence 
without  making  excellent  average  results. 

The  Middle  States  Oil  Corporation  is  only  a 
few  months  in  existence.  It  acquired  over  seven 
thousand  acres  of  leases  scattered  around  through 
the  oil  regions  of  Oklahoma.  They  do  not  have 
large  tracts  of  land  in  the  state  as  it  is  subdivided 
into  forty,  eighty  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
tracts  and  consequently  every  oil  operator  has  his 
leases  scattered  about  intermingled  with  others  in 
the  oil  producing  business.  That,  of  course,  gives 
the  producer  a  number  of  economies  in  testing  and 
developing  each  locality.  The  Middle  States  Oil 
Corporation  really  began  business  last  June  and 
has  already  more  than  doubled  the  cash  value  of 
its  property.  From  the  wells  already  drilled  and 
producing,  it  has  put  its  stock  on  a  dividend  pay- 
ing basis  with  a  reserve  running  above  the  amount 
allowed  for  dividends. 


214 


VEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


HARRY  F.  SINCLAIR 


The  entrance  into  the  Eastern  field  of  the  Sin- 
clair Oil  &  Refining  Co.  has  been  marked  bv  the 
most  gratifying  success.  The  new  concern  is  one  of 
the  biggest  producing  firms  in  the  United  States  and 
has  extensive  refining,  pipe  hne  and  marketing  facih- 
ties,  with  distributing  stations  in  Kansas,  Colorado, 
Nebraska,  Oklahoma,  New  York.  Massachusetts, 
Rhode  Island,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan.  Minne- 
sota, Iowa,  Missouri.  South  Dakota  and  New 
Mexico.  In  addition  the  company  is  increasing  its 
service  by  installing  filling  stations  in  Buffalo, 
Albany,  Cleveland,  Toledo,  Chicago,  Kansas  City, 
Denver  and  many  other  cities.  By  pur- 
chase and  development  the  number  of  wells  in 
which  the  corporation  is  interested  is  more  than 
1 ,200  producing  oil  and  gas  wells,  and  large  acre- 
age which  has  not  yet  been  developed.  The  com- 
pany has  established  a  plant  for  the  manufacture  of 
gasoline  from  casing  head  gas  in  Cleveland,  Okla- 
homa, and  have  in  course  of  construction  four  other 
plants  that  will  aggregate  a  daily  capacity  of 
38,000  gallons.  A  new  pipe  line  is  being  built 
from  the  Oklahoma  and  Kansas  fields  to  Chicago, 
a  distance  of  800  miles,  while  an  additional  means 
of  distribution  is  provided  by  about  4,000  tank  cars 
which  the  company  owns. 

Mr.  Sinclair,  President  of  this  gigantic  corpo- 


ration and  one  of  the  prime  movers  in  its  organiza- 
tion, was  born  in  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  July 
6,  1876.  His  father,  who  was  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness, removed  to  Kansas  in  1 884  and  the  son 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  State 
and  studied  pharmacy  at  the  University  of  Kan- 
sas, with  the  expectation  of  succeeding  his  father 
in  business.  The  father  dying  at  this  period,  Mr. 
Sinclair  became  a  salesman  for  one  year  and  then 
turned  his  attention  to  oil,  buying  and  selling 
leases  until  he  finally  began  the  development  of 
several  promising  oil  properties  on  his  own  account. 
The  oil  business  was  growing  steadily  at  this  time 
and  Mr.  Sinclair,  who  had  become  an  expert  in 
the  industry,  was  one  of  the  largest  and  most  suc- 
cessful operators  in  the  Western  field.  It  was 
apparent  to  him  that  operations  on  a  large  scale 
would  be  highly  profitable  so  he  started  in  to 
amalgamate  various  large  interests  in  the  field  and 
succeeded  in  bringing  seven  independent  companies 
mto  the  merger.  The  combined  assets  of  the  new- 
enterprise  were  about  $70,000,000.  The  three 
best  known  of  the  merger  companies  are  the 
Cudahy  Refining  Company,  the  Milligan  Refining 
Company  and  the  Chanute  Refining  Company,  all 
of  which  have  been  operating  successfully  for  a 
number  of  years. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


215 


rii.ito    fr  .111    Co-'M'''i.'tiv"  rrf^s. 

Harry  F.  Sinclair 

President  of  the  Sinclair  Oil  and  Refining  Comijany.  The  Opposite 
Page  Contains  a  Brief  Review  of  This  Company 
and  Its  President. 


216 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NFM 


J.  FLETCHER  FARRELL 


J.  Fletcher  Farrell,  Treasurer  of  the  Sinclair 
Oil  and  Refining  Company  Corporation,  who  is  a 
prominent  figure  in  the  Oklahoma  oil  field,  was 
born  at  Madison,  Missouri,  August  19,  1878,  the 
son  of  William  Martin  Farrell,  a  well-known 
Western  banker  and  financier,  and  Susan  Virginia 
( Weathersford)  Farrell.  He  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Paris,  Mo.,  and  during  vacation  periods 
laid  the  foundation  for  a  thorough  business  train- 
ing by  engaging  in  various  occupations.  The  pur- 
suits he  took  up  in  this,  the  plastic  period  of  his 
career,  not  only  gave  him  the  experience  needed 
tor  early  contact  with  the  business  world,  but  they 
equipped  him  with  the  physique  and  endurance 
necessary  for  hard  and  earnest  struggle.  While 
other  boys  were  playing  he  worked  on  a  farm  and 
successively  filled  clerkships  in  a  shoe  store,  a 
clothing  store  and  the  post  office  of  Paris.  When 
but  nineteen  years  of  age  he  became  a  clerk  in 
the  Paris  Savings  Bank  and  from  that  period  his 
advance  in  the  financial  world  was  rapid.  In 
1 900,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  became  the 
Assistant  State  Treasurer  of  Missouri,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  until  1  903,  when  he  accepted  the 
Assistant  Cashiership  of  the  Third  National  Bank, 
of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  retaining  the  position  for 
six  years.  In  1909  he  was  elected  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Bankers'  Association,  for 
Missouri,  and  was  also  a  member  of  that  organi- 
zation's Executive  Council.  Pie  was  elected  Vice- 
President  of  the  Fort  Dearborn  National  Bank, 


Chicago,  111.,  in  1910  and  during  the  years  ol 
1911,  1912  and  1913.  filled  the  position  of 
Freasurer  of  the  American  Bankers'  Association. 
Mr.  Farrell's  activity  along  financial  lines  has 
made  his  services  sought  by  many  corporations  and 
in  addition  to  the  treasurership  of  the  Sinclair  Oil 
Refining  Corporation,  he  fills  similar  positions  with 
the  Sinclair  Refining  Co.,  of  Chicago,  the  Sin- 
clair Cudahy  Pipe  Line  Co.,  Tulsa,  Oklahoma; 
the  Sinclair  Oil  &  Gas  Co.,  Tulsa,  Oklahoma, 
and  the  Exchange  Oil  Co.,  of  1  ulsa.  He  is  also 
a  Director  of  Fort  Dearborn  National  Bank,  the 
Woodlawn  Trust  &  Savings  Bank  of  Chicago  and 
Vice-President  and  Director  of  the  Paris  Savings 
Bank,  of  iParis,  Mo.  Mr.  Farrell  is  a  member 
of  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Bankers'  Club,  Union 
League  Club,  Southern  Club,  Iroquois  Club,  Mis- 
souri Society,  Kenwood  Club,  South  Shore 
Country  Club  and  the  Men's  Club  of  Hyde  Park, 
all  of  Chicago;  Missouri  Athletic  Club,  St.  Louis; 
Bankers'  Club,  Old  Colony  Club,  Gymnic  Club, 
Sleepy  Hollow  Country  Club,  Scarsdale  Golf  & 
Country  Club  and  Lawrence  Park  Country  Club, 
all  of  New  York.  He  was  married  June  1 7, 
1901,  to  Miss  Nellie  West  Curtright,  daughter 
of  Judge  James  A.  Curtright,  of  Paris,  Mo.,  the 
union  bringing  two  children:  Esther  Virginia  Far- 
rell, age  fourteen  years,  and  William  Fletcher 
Farrell,  age  ten  years.  Mr.  Farrell's  offices  are 
at  120  Broadway,  and  his  residence.  Sagamore 
Park,  Bronxville.  N.  Y. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


217 


HERBERT  J.  CARR 

A  Commanding  Figure  in  International  Petroleum  Concerns. 


Mr.  Herbert  J.  Carr  is  Managing  Director  for 
the  United  States  of  the  Anglo-Mexican  Petro- 
leum Company,  Ltd.,  and  has  been  connected  with 
S.  Pearson  &  Son,  of  London,  for  twenty-two 
years.  He  is  sole  owner  of  Carr  Brothers  of 
New  York  City  and  President  of  Carr  Bros.,  Ltd., 
of  London,  England,  which  two  latter  firms  handle 
the  product  of  nearly  every  country  m  the  world 
and  have  correspondents  and  connections  in  every 
commercial  center.  Their  imports  consist  princi- 
pally of  coffee,  hides,  hemp  and  Mexican  rubber, 
both  crude  and  plantation.  The  exports  to  the 
various  points  are  entirely  of  American  and  Eng- 
lish manufacture  and  include  all  classes  of  ma- 
chinery used  in  the  industrial  plants  of  the  world. 
He  is  also  President  of  the  Alabama  Exploration 
Co.,  Director  and  Treasurer  of  the  Cuban  Oil 
Company  and  Director  of  the  Oil  Fields  of 
Mexico  Company. 

The  Anglo-Mexican  Petroleum  Company,  Ltd., 
is  a  subsidiary  of  The  Mexican  Eagle  Oil  Com- 
pany, which  owes  its  inception  to  the  initiative  of 
Lord  Cowdray,  head  of  the  firm  of  S.  Tearson 
&  Son,  Ltd.,  of  London. 

When  constructing  the  railroad  across  the 
Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec  for  the  Mexican  Govern- 
ment the  engineers  in  charge  of  the  work  quickly 
noticed  the  many  oil  indications  along  the  route, 
and  Lord  Cowdray  (then  Sir  Weetman  Pearson) 
at  once  proceeded  to  obtain  the  necessary  contract 
for  the  development  of  the  oil  fields  in  this  region. 
A  50-mile  pipe  line  was  soon  constructed  from 
the  oil  fields  to  Minatitl  an,  where  a  refinery  was 
erected  about  18  miles  from  seaboard. 

Having  become  interested  in  the  Mexican  oil 
industry.  Lord  Cowdray  turned  his  attention  fur- 
ther north,  acquiring  over  800,000  acres  of  oil 
lands  in  the  five  petroliferous  states  bordering  on 
the  Mexican  Gulf.  Fortune  attended  the  enter- 
prise and  the  great  well  of  Dos  Bocas  was  brought 
in,  flowing  at  an  estimated  rate  of  50.000  bar- 
rels per  day;  but  this  immediately  took  fire  and 
burnt  itself  out  in  two  months.  This  fire  involved 
the  loss  of  3,000,000  to  5.000,000  barrels  of 
oil  but,  undeterred  by  this  disaster.  S.  Pearson  & 
Son.  Ltd..  continued  prospecting  and  in  1911 
were  successful  in  bringing  in  the  Potrero  del 
Llano,  which  has  a  production  of  I  1 0.000  bar- 
rels daily.  Again  bad  luck  supervened  as  the 
seepage  around  the  well  was  fired  by  lightning  and 


it  was  not  until  seven  months  afterward  that  the 
fire  was  extinguished;  but  the  fire  did  not  affect 
production  and  the  well  is  still  one  of  the  largest 
producers  of  any  well  ever  exploited. 

In  1 908  The  Mexican  Eagle  Oil  Company, 
Ltd.,  was  formed  to  exploit  the  oil  fields  and  manu- 
facture and  distribute  the  products  in  Mexico.  This 
company  took  over  from  S.  Pearson  &  Son,  Ltd.. 
all  their  contracts  and  leases;  and  owns  180  miles 
of  main  and  subsidiary  pipe  line,  with  a  capacity 
of  90,000  barrels  per  day,  which  transports  the 
oil  to  the  seaboard  and  refinery  depots.  The 
steel  tankage  of  the  company  has  a  capacity  of 
nearly  6.000,000  barrels  and  the  refineries  at 
Minatitlan  and  Tampico  have  a  combined  capacity 
of  26,500  barrels  daily.  At  Tuxpam,  north  of 
the  Tuxpam  River,  the  company  has  built  a  deep- 
sea  loading  terminal  where  vessels  of  the  deepest 
draft  lie  at  ocean  moorings  about  a  mile  from  the 
shore  and  are  loaded  by  means  of  pipe  lines  laid 
on  the  bed  of  the  sea ;  storage  depots  are  also 
located  at  Tampico,  Vera  Cruz  and  Puerto. 
Mexico.  The  company  has  also  perfected  its 
marketing  organization  for  the  supply  of  its  home 
market  in  Mexico,  where  it  has  established  over 
1  60  depots  throughout  the  Republic,  and  supplies 
the  railways  and  other  industries  of  Mexico  with 
fuel  oil  and  lubricants. 

Owing  to  the  rapid  increase  in  consumption  of 
petroleum  products  and  in  order  to  handle  the 
business  in  the  most  efficient  manner.  The  Eagle 
Oil  Transport  Co.,  Ltd.,  was  formed  in  1912 
for  the  purpose  of  transporting  the  products  of  the 
parent  company  to  foreign  markets.  This  com- 
pany, prior  to  the  war.  had  a  fleet  of  20  tank 
steamers  with  a  carrying  capacity  of  250,000 
tons.  The  company  has  also  contracted  for  fur- 
ther steamers  with  a  capacity  of  1  8,000  tons  each 
and  when  the  war  is  over  the  company  will  be  in 
even  a  better  position  to  supply  the  requirements 
of  the  Anglo-Mexican  Petroleum  Co..  Ltd..  which 
was  formed  to  market  the  products  of  The  Mex- 
ican Eagle  Oil  Company  outside  of  Mexico. 

The  Anglo-Mexican  Petroleum  Company.  Ltd., 
has  its  head  office  in  London.  England,  with 
branches  at  New  York.  Rio  de  Janeiro  and 
Buenos  Aires,  and  seaboard  oil-fuel  depots  for 
steamship  loading  and  inland  distribution  at  Hull, 
Thameshaven.  Avonmouth  and  Manchester  in 
England;  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  and  Buenos  Aires  in 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


219 


South  America;  at  Saint  Thomas,  Virgin  Islands; 
and  at  Tampico,  Tuxpam,  Puerto  Mexico  and 
Salina  Cruz  in  the  Repubhc  of  Mexico. 

From  the  above  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Cowd- 
ray  group  of  companies  is  self-contained,  as  produc- 
tion, transportation,  manufacture  and  distribution 
are  covered  by  their  various  allied  units.  Not- 
withstanding the  revolution  in  Mexico,  The  Mex- 
ican Eagle  Oil  Company,  Ltd.,  for  the  year  1916 
was  able  to  pay  I  6  per  cent,  on  its  share  capitali- 
zation of  50,000,000  pesos  ($25,000,000).  and 
with  the  restoration  of  normal  conditions  in  Europe 
the  company  should  be  able  to  still  further  strength- 
en the  dominating  position  which  it  holds  in  the 
Mexican  oil  industry. 

The  official  government  figures  give  the  produc- 
tion of  petroleum  in  Mexico  in  1916  at  40,550,- 
469  barrels,  as  agamst  18,000  barrels  m  1900 
and  3,500,000  barrels  in  1910,  and  according  to 
the  Oil  Trade  Journal  the  loadings  of  The  Mex- 
ican Eagle  Oil  Company,  Ltd.,  in  1916  amounted 
to  9,519,970  barrels,  in  which  are  included  its 
crude  oil  shipments  from  Tuxpam  to  Minafitlan 
and  Tampico.  The  headquarters  of  The  Mexican 
Eagle  Oil  Company,  Ltd.,  are  in  Mexico  City, 
Mexico.  Mr.  T.  J.  Ryder  is  President  and 
Manager. 

Owing  to  his  duties  as  President  of  the  Aerial 
Board  in  London,  to  which  Lord  Cowdray  is  now 
giving  his  undivided  attention,  many  of  his  former 
responsibilities  have  been  assumed  by  his  son,  Capt. 
the  Hon.  B.  Clive  Pearson,  who  with  able  co- 
directors  and  assistants,  is  carrying  on  successfully 
the  work  which  his  father  so  skilfully  originated. 
Capt.  Pearson  is  Chairman  of  both  the  Anglo- 
Mexican  Petroleum  Company,  Ltd.,  and  The 
Eagle  Oil  Transport  Company,  Ltd.,  the  head  of- 
fices of  both  companies  being  in  London. 

The  Anglo-Mexican  Petroleum  Company,  Ltd., 
has  just  moved  to  very  handsome  and  spacious 
quarters  on  the  nineteenth  floor  of  the  American 
Express  Company  Building  at  65  Broadway, 
where  one  is  immediately  impressed  by  the  activ- 
ities of  the  various  departments  under  which  this 
organization  is  operated. 

Mention  must  also  be  made  of  the  activities  of 
the  firm  of  S.  Pearson  &  Son,  Ltd.,  of  which 
Lord  Cowdray  is  the  head,  as  it  was  owing  to 
their  perseverance  that  the  Mexican  petroleum  in- 
dustry became  such  an  important  factor  in  the 
world's  trade.  In  addition  to  the  Tehuantepec 
Railway  the  firm  of  S.  Pearson  &  Son,  Ltd.,  built 
the  port  works  at  Vera  Cruz,  Puerto  Mexico  and 
Salina  Cruz,  and  constructed  the  electric  light  and 
tramway  systems  at  Tampico,  Vera  Cruz  and 
Puebia;  they  also  control  many  other  works  of 
public  utility  in  the  Republic  of  Mexico. 

In  all  of  these  undertakings  Mr.  Carr  has  been 
identified  through  his  long  association  with  the 
Pear?on  firm. 


RICHARD  CHARLES  VEIT. 
Richard  C.  Veit,  whose  entire  business  life  has 
been  spent  in  the  service  of  the  Standard  Oil  Co., 
and  Its  predecessors,  was  born  in  New  York  City, 
November  17,  1855,  and  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Brooklyn  until  he  was  twelve  years  of 
age.  His  first  occupation  was  with  the  firm  of 
Rockefeller,  Andrews  &  Flagler  as  errand  boy, 
and  vs'hen  the  Standard  Oil  Co.  was  organized  in 
1880,  as  successor  of  the  Rockefeller  firm,  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Shipping  Department, 
which  operates  a  large  fleet  of  tank  steamers,  many 
sailing  vessels  and  barges  and  a  large  number  of 


leased  boats.  Mr.  Veit  is  Secretary  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Co.  of  New  York  and  has  been  a 
Stockholder  and  Director  of  the  same  for  a  number 
of  years.  He  is  also  a  Director  of  the  Gas  En- 
gine &  Power  Co.,  and  the  Charles  L.  Seabury 
&  Co.,  Consolidated;  also  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Museum  of  Art,  New  York  Zoological  So- 
ciety, Atlantic  Yacht  Club,  New  York  Yacht 
Club  and  Lotos  Club.  He  was  married  December 
2,  1880.  to  Mary  K.  Stobo,  and  has  two  sons, 
Russell  C.  and  Kenneth  Alden  Veit.  He  resides 
at  171  West  71st  Street  and  has  a  summer  home 
at  Sea  Gate. 


220 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


ROXANA  PETROLEUM  CORPORATION 


One  of  the  largest  companies  working  in  the 
Mid-Continent,  notably  in  Oklahoma,  the  great 
petroleum  center  of  the  country,  is  the  Roxana 
Petroleum  Corporation,  the  President  of  which  is 
Willem  A.  J.  M.  van  Waterschoot  van  der 
Gracht,  a  noted  engineer,  who  came  to  this  country 
from  Holland,  March  I,  1915,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Royal  Dutch  Shell  Group,  one  of  the 
most  important  petroleum  organizations  of  the 
world.  The  Roxana  Petroleum  Corporation  is  a 
subsidiary  of  this  concern  and  in  beginning  opera- 
tions in  the  Oklahoma  oil  fields  it  took  over  various 
properties.  Its  holdings  consist  of  over  7,000  acres 
of  oil  lands  which  produced  about  5,000,000 
barrels  of  oil  in  1916,  and  over  100,000  acres  of 
promising  yet  unproven  leaseholds,  refineries.  550 
miles  of  pipe  lines  and  thorough  equipment.  The 
parent  company,  the  Royal  Dutch  Shell  Group, 
has  an  enormous  producing  and  marketing  organ- 
ization extending  over  the  entire  world  and  Pres- 
ident van  der  Gracht  is  confident  that  the  business 
in  the  Mid-Continent  fields  of  the  United  States 
will  prove  to  be  one  of  the  company's  greatest 
assets.  The  Roxana  Petroleum  Corporation  is  a 
$60,000,000  concern.  Mr.  van  der  Gracht  is 
a  native  of  Amsterdam,  Holland,  being  born  there 
May  15,  1873.  the  son  of  Walter  S.  J.  van 
Waterschoot  van  der  Gracht  and  Marie  van  der 
Does  Willebois.  The  father  was  a  Senator  of 
the  Netherlands.  The  family  originates  from 
Flanders,  Belgium,  and  located  in  the  Netherlands 
in  the  Sixteenth  Century. 

After  graduating  from  the  University  of  Ams- 
terdam as  a  Doctor  of  Laws,  Mr.  van  der 
Gracht  studied  mining  engineering  and  geology  at  the 
Academy  of  Freiberg  in  Saxony.  He  gr.duated 
in  1904  and  the  following  year  was  made  Secre- 
tary to  the  Council  of  Mines  of  the  Dutch  Gov- 
ernment, becoming  later  a  Director  of  the  Nether- 


lands Geological  Service  and  a  member  of  the 
Council  of  Mines  which  is  composed  of  five  mem- 
bers, who'  as  a  board  have  charge  of  the  gov- 
ernment's coal  mining  enterprises  and  act  as  coun- 
selors to  the  Ministry  of  Commerce  and  Industry 
in  matters  relating  to  mining.  Explorations  under 
Mr.  van  der  Gracht's  direction  led  to  the  discov- 
ery of  over  50,000  acres  of  coal  fields  in  that 
country,  and  large  deposits  of  rock  salt.  The 
Netherlands  coal  mines  produce  over  two  and 
a  half  million  tons  a  year.  This  output  will  be 
extended  to  ten  million  tons,  at  which  rate  the 
deposit^  will  lasl  450  years.  Mr.  van  der  Gracht 
aided  in  puttinii  these  mines  on  a  commercial  basis 
and  helped  in  the  shaping  of  regulations  to  insure 
safety  to  the  miners.  In  1912  the  East  Indian 
Colonies'  government  invoked  his  aid  in  the  reor- 
ganization of  the  mining  service  in  that  Dutch 
possession  and  his  advice  as  to  explorations  for 
coal  and  petroleum.  He  executed  both  com- 
missions successfully.  Mr.  van  der  Gracht  has 
acted  as  Consulting  Expert  to  companies  in  many 
parts  of  the  world  and  is  the  author  of  various 
papers  on  geological  and  other  subjects,  one  of  his 
best  known  works  being  'The  Deeper  Geology  of 
the  Netherlands,"  published  at  The  Hague,  1909. 

Mr.  van  der  Gracht  is  a  past  President  of  the 
Geological  Society  of  The  Netherlands;  a  fellow 
of  the  Geological  Society  of  London;  member  of 
the  Geological  Societies  of  France,  Germany  and 
Belgium;  the  American  Institute  of  Mining  En- 
gineers; the  Authors'  Club,  London,  and  other 
scientific  bodies  and  social  organizations.  Mme. 
van  der  Gracht  was  Josephine,  Baroness  Ham- 
mer-Purgstall,  of  Graz,  Styria,  before  her  mar- 
riage, and  a  daughtei  of  Arthur.  Baron  Hammer- 
Purgstall  and  Gisella,  Countess  Vetter  du  Lys. 
They  have  four  children;  Idesbald,  Arthur,  Wal- 
ter ard  Marie-Gisele. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


221 


222 


^EH'    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


PATRICK  JUSTIN  WHITE 


1  he  oil  industry,  which  had  its  inception  a 
half  century  ago  in  a  httle  town  in  the  interior 
ol  Pennsylvania,  has  produced  many  colossal  for- 
tunes. Many  of  the  pioneers  of  those  early  days 
have  passed  away  but  as  the  field  was  broadened 
by  the  discovery  of  oil  in  various  parts  of  the 
country,  new  operators  took  their  places.  Among 
these  is  Patrick  Justin  White,  who  is  an  operator 
in  the  \^  estern  field  and  at  present  one  of  the 
most  dominant  figures  in  the  illuminating  oil  in- 
dustry of  the  country.  Mr.  White  was  born  in 
Stoneham,  Pa.,  January  16,  1871,  the  son  of 
Patrick  and  Sarah  (Brennan)  White,  who  came 
to  the  United  States  from  County  Galvvay,  Ire- 
land, some  years  previously.  He  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  his  birthplace  and  by  private  study 
and  early  in  life  entered  the  employ  of  the  Pickett 
Hardware  Co.,  a  subsidiary  of  the  Oil  Well  Sup- 
ply Co.,  of  Pittsburgh.  This  concern  conducted 
a  flourishing  business  and  afforded  Mr.  White  a 
chance  to  gain  a  wide  commercial  knowledge.  His 
initiative  and  ability  to  accomplish  things  led  to  his 
being  transferred  to  the  parent  house  in  Pittsburgh 
and  he  was  soon  advanced  to  the  position  of  sales- 
man and  finally  local  manager.  This  latter  posi- 
tion added  to  his  responsibilities  and  increased  his 
duties,  but  he  assumed  the  burden  cheerfully  and 
accomplished  the  work  satisfactorily  to  the  com- 
pany. At  this  time  the  Oil  Well  Supply  Co.'s 
business  in  the  Southwestern  oil  field  was  growing 
rapidly  and  Mr.  White  was  selected  to  take  charge 
of  this  department,  thus  getting  in  touch  with  a 
field  in  which  he  was  to  win  future  success  as  an 
independent  operator.  As  the  representative  of  the 
Oil  Well  Supply  Co.  he  established  and  operated 
some  twenty  shares  in  Kansas  and  Oklahoma  and 


largely  increased  the  company's  business.  While 
filling  this  position  he  was  on  the  lookout  for 
chances  of  personal  investment  and  in  1901  he 
secured  a  small  interest  in  an  oil  producing  com- 
pany which  was  meeting  with  some  success.  Later 
he  invested  in  another  company  and  by  degrees 
came  to  be  one  of  the  big  men  in  the  South- 
western oil  industry.  He  was  still  connected  with 
the  Oil  Well  Supply  Co.  and  this,  together  with 
his  private  interests,  kept  him  so  busy  that  he  de- 
termined to  resign  his  position,  which  he  did  in 
1909,  after  twenty  years  of  service.  Striking  out 
independently,  he  organized  the  Exchange  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Tulsa,  Oklahoma,  of  which  he  be- 
came President.  Mr.  White  gave  the  institution 
his  personal  attention  and  it  soon  won  a  high  place 
among  the  financial  concerns  of  the  State.  He 
was  at  the  same  time  devoting  considerable  time 
to  his  oil  interests  and,  finding  that  the  two  con- 
flicted, he  resigned  the  Presidency  of  the  bank, 
January  I,  1916,  soon  after  removing  to  New 
York  City,  which  he  decided  should  be  his  head- 
quarters thereafter.  Mr.  White  is  now  one  of  the 
principal  figures  in  the  development  of  oil  fields 
in  Oklahoma,  Kansas,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Cali- 
fornia and  Kentucky.  Mr.  White  is  a  recognized 
authority  on  oil  well  properties,  his  vast  knowledge 
being  based  upon  personal,  practical  study  of  the 
various  properties  he  became  interested  in.  He  is 
a  Director  in  various  companies  and  a  member  of 
social  and  business  organizations  in  New  York 
City  and  the  West.  He  was  married  February 
10,  1913,  to  Frances  Ann  Laing,  of  New  Or- 
leans, La.,  and  they  have  one  child,  Patrick  Justin, 
Jr.  He  resides  at  960  Park  Avenue  and  his 
office  is  at  30  East  42nd  Street. 


Patrick  J.  White 

One  of  the  Most  Interesting  and  Prominent  Figures  in  the  American  Oil  Industry,     See  Opposite  Page. 


224 


NhW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEIV 


KIAS  IONE  CONSOLIDATED  OIL  CORPORATION 


1  he  Keystone  Consolidated  Oil  Corporation,  ot 
which  Walter  M.  Yeager  is  President,  are  pro- 
ducers of  crude  oil,  operating  in  the  fields  of  Ken- 
tucky, Louisiana  and  Texas.  Mr.  Yeager  recently 
visited  the  company's  holdings  in  Louisiana  and 
made  a  flattering  report  of  conditions  there.  He 


hour  oi  nine  producing  wells  with  individual 
pumping  stations  are  novv  being  equipped  and 
these  should  materially  increase  the  present  pro- 
duction. From  now  on  the  company  hopes  to  com- 
plete and  put  to  pumping  at  least  two  more  wells 
each  month.      It  will  require  twenty  additional 


Walter  M.  Yeager 


found  that  the  holdings  in  that  state  had  been 
absolutely  proven  to  be  valuable  oil  property,  not 
only  by  the  producing  wells  already  drilled  by  the 
Keystone  Consolidated  Oil  Corporation  but  also 
by  other  companies  that  have  successfully  drilled 
on  all  sides  of  the  Keystone  Consolidated  well. 


wells  to  fully  develop  the  present  holdings  in 
Louisiana  and  on  account  of  the  proved  condition 
of  this  property  it  is  practically  certain  that  a  rea- 
sonable production  will  be  secured  from  every  well 
drilled.  At  least  eight  additional  wells  can  be 
operated  without  any  additional  labor  or  overhead 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


225 


expense  while  with  twenty  additional  wells  in  oper- 
ation it  will  require  the  services  of  only  two  more 
men,  or  an  additional  labor  charge  of  $180.00 
per  month.  At  the  lowest  estimate,  twenty 
additional  wells  should  give  a  settled  production  of 
500  barrels  per  day.  The  present  production  is 
from  the  shallow  or  1,050  foot  sand  and  it  is 
known  as  "Caddo  heavy,"  which  sells  at  the  pres- 
ent time  for  $1.00  per  barrel.  It  is  being  taken 
by  the  Texas  Oil  Company,  whose  pipe  line  is 
directly  connected  with  the  tanks  on  the  field.  It 
is  almost  certain  that  the  property  is  underlaid  by 
a  deeper  sand  which  has  been  well  developed  with- 
in one-half  mile  of  the  Keystone  Consolidated 
holdings  at  2,250  feet.  No  attempt  has  been 
made  to  develop  this  deeper  sand  as  the  1,050- 
foot  sand  gives  a  good  settled  production. 

It  is  the  intention  of  the  management  to  make 
a  test  for  this  deeper  sand  within  the  coming  year; 
if  this  test  should  prove  successful  they  would  pro- 
duce what  is  known  as  the  "Caddo  light,"  which 
brings  in  the  present  market  $1.90  per  barrel. 
Wells  can  be  drilled  to  the  deeper  sands  without 
interfering  with  the  shallow  wells;  therefore  they 
could  drill  at  least  fifteen  deep  wells  without  inter- 
fering with  their  shallow  production. 

The  properties  are  located  in  the  Lewis  District, 
one  of  the  mast  productive  in  the  Caddo  field. 
There  is  every  facility  for  acquiring  and  assembling 
equipment  and  material  with  the  added  advantage 
of  pipe-line  competition  as  the  Standard  and  Texas 
and  Gulf  Companies  both  operate  there.  In  the 
Goose  Creek  field  of  South  Texas  the  company 
has  a  submerged  tract  under  lease  within  one  mile 
of  wells  producing  from  2,000  to  10,000  barrels 
per  day  and  within  three  miles  of  the  heart  of  this 
field  it  has  under  lease  500  acres  of  very  promising 
property  over  which  the  Texas  Oil  Company  is 
now  laying  its  main  pipe  line. 

So  great  is  the  demand  for  property  in  this 
section  that  fabulous  prices  have  been  paid  foi 
tracts  of  from  five  to  ten  acres  in  the  producing 
sections,  and  wells  are  being  drilled  as  close  as 
fifty  feet  apart.  Within  the  next  few  months  drill- 
ing will  be  started  on  all  sides  of  the  properties, 
as  all  the  land  surrounding  the  leases  is  owned  by 
companies  that  are  preparing  to  develop  in  the 
very  near  future.  On  May  10th  an  8,000  barrel 
well  was  brought  in  several  miles  from  Goose 
Creek,  in  an  entirely  new  section,  which  seems  to 
prove  that  this  whole  section  is  underlaid  by  the 
deeper  sands,  which  at  the  present  time  is  giving 
such  immense  production.  The  company  feels 
that  in  a  few  months  its  leases  will  be  surrounded 
by  immense  producers.  All  land  for  many  miles 
beyond  these  properties  has  been  leased  and  sub- 
stantial cash  bonuses  have  been  paid.  Under 
present  conditions  it  would  be  difficult  at  this  time 
to  reasonably  over-estimate  the  value  of  the  hold- 
ings in  the  Goose  Creek  district.  From  a  trans- 
portation standpoint  the  Goose  Creek  district  is 


most  favorably  situated,  lying  adjacent  to  the  Ship 
Channel,  which  connects  the  city  of  Houston  with 
deep  water  navigation  and  gives  direct  ocean  trans- 
portation. This  feature  will  be  a  great  advantage 
on  account  of  the  steadily  increasing  demand  for 
fuel  oil  for  the  navy  as  well  as  merchant  vessels. 
The  field  is  also  traversed  by  numerous  pipe-lines 
and  near  The  Southern  Pacific  Railroad,  which 
is  now  equipping  practically  all  of  its  locomotives 
with  oil  burners  and  carrying  thousands  of  tank 
cars  of  fuel  oil  from  this  field  each  month. 

In  Kentucky  the  company  owns  leases  on 
approximately  15,000  acres  in  Clay,  Leslie  and 
Perry  Counties.  These  leases  were  secured  about 
one  year  ago,  when  this  field  was  first  brought  to 
the  attention  of  the  prominent  oil  interests  of  the 
country.  Since  that  time  a  large  number  of  geolo- 
gists, both  in  the  employ  of  the  Government  and 
large  oil  interests,  have  located  several  anticlinals 
in  Clay  County,  underlying  a  large  portion  of 
them.  Within  the  past  six  months  a  number  of 
the  most  successful  oil  men  of  the  country  have 
gone  into  this  section  of  Kentucky  and  at  least 
seventy-five  drilling  rigs  will  be  in  operation  with- 
in the  next  six  months. 

The  company's  15,000  acres  in  Kentucky  is 
composed  of  fifty-five  separate  leases;  the  largest 
single  tract  under  lease  is  2,250  acres,  the  balance 
being  in  leases  of  from  fifty  to  two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres.  The  only  lease  where  drilling  con- 
ditions are  required  is  the  2,250  acre  lease,  which 
calls  for  two  wells  per  year;  on  all  other  leases 
five  years  are  allowed  to  start  work  and  one  well 
will  confirm  each  lease;  therefore,  the  drilling  of 
wells  can  be  done  when  and  where  the  management 
deems  best  and  at  any  time  within  five  years. 
Within  a  very  short  time  many  of  the  different 
leases  will  be  proven  by  the  drilling  of  adjoining 
property,  so  that  the  company  will  be  able  to  start 
drilling  on  each  lease  with  reasonable  assurance  of 
production.  The  oil  produced  from  this  section 
is  quoted  at  $2.20  per  barrel  and  is  the  same 
grade  as  that  produced  in  West  Virginia.  The 
properties  are  served  by  The  Cumberland  Pipe 
Line  (a  Standard  Oil  subsidiary)  which  runs  over 
several  of  the  leases.  The  best  paying  sand  in 
this  section  should  be  found  at  approximately 
1,700  feet  and  is  a  continuation  of  the  West 
Virginia  oil  sand.  Many  large  oil  operators  from. 
Wyoming,  Oklahoma  and  Kansas  are  coming  into 
this  section  and  acquiring  leases  wherever  it  is  pos- 
sible, many  of  them  predicting  that  the  state  of 
Kentucky  will  be  the  largest  producer  of  high 
grade  oil  in  the  near  future. 

Great  things  can  be  expected  from  the  company's 
Kentucky  leases  during  the  coming  year.  Within 
the  next  few  weeks  active  drilling  operations  will 
be  well  under  way. 

The  offices  of  the  Keystone  Consolidated  Oil 
Corporation  are  at  1  00  Broadway. 


226 


\'EW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


JULIUS  W.  COPMAN. 
Julius  W.  Copman,  who  in  the  early  days  de- 
veloped the  business  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company 
in  Japan,  China  and  India,  was  born  in  Holstein, 
Denmark,  now  Holstein,  Germany.  August  29, 
1853.  He  was  sent  to  Hamburg,  Germany,  to  be 
educated,  but  broke  off  his  studies  to  come  to  the 
United  States  in  1870.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
he  became  a  broker  m  empty  barrels  and  was  con- 


fidential broker  of  the  Tidewater  Pipe  Line  until 
1893,  when  he  made  his  first  trip  to  the  Far 
East,  making  his  headquarters  for  fourteen  years 
at  Yokohama,  Japan,  and  opening  up  the  Eastern 
territory  for  the  Standard  Oil  Company.  He  re- 
tired from  active  business  in  1907.  Mr.  Copman 
maintains  an  office  at  140  Liberty  Street  and. 
although  permanently  retired,  frequently  acts  in  an 
advisory  capacity  in  matters  pertaining  to  petroleum. 


THE  OIL  FIELDS  OF  MEXICO 
COMPANY. 
The  Oil  Fields  of  Mexico  Company,  one  of  the 
big  corporations  operating  beyond  the  Rio  Grande, 
is  capitalized  at  $5,500,000,  which  amount  is 
divided  into  common  stock  of  the  par  value  of 
$5.00  per  share  and  seven  per  cent  cumulative 
shares  of  the  same  value.  The  company  owns 
several  square  miles  of  land  in  the  State  of  Vera 
Cruz,  Mexico,  one  of  the  most  prolific  oil  centers 
of  that  country.  Upon  this  immense  tract  are 
located  haciendas,  warehouses  and  wells,  thoiough- 
ly  equipped  to  handle  the  product  and  a  railway 
and  pipe  hne  for  its  transportation.  The  political 
disturbances  in  Mexico,  which  started  over  six 
years  ago,  and  each  year  have  become  more  serious, 
have  seriously  retarded  operations  and  no  improve- 
ment is  yet  shown  in  the  district  where  the  proper- 
ties are  located.  In  consequence  of  these  condi- 
tions it  has  been  found  impossible  for  the  company 
to  attempt  any  new  development  work.  The  gen- 
eral condition  of  the  property  has  been  maintained 
as  well  as  possible,  taking  into  account  the  diffi- 
culty in  obtaining  the  necessary  labor.  The  rail- 
way pipe  line  and  plant  have  been  kept  in  practical 
working  condition  owing  to  the  efforts  of  Charles 
A.  Tumbull,  Assistant  Manager,  and  his  small 
staff,  who  stuck  to  their  posts  and  looked  after  the 
company's  interests,  under  conditions  at  all  times 
trying  and  frequently  dangerous.  The  Oil  Fields 
of  Mexico  Company  was  organized  by  Percy  N. 
Furber,  an  English  engineer  who  acquired  the 
Mexican  properties  after  satisfying  himself  of 
their  prospective  producing  values.  He  formed  the 
present  operating  company,  of  which  he  became 
President,  the  other  officers  being  August  Heck- 
scher,  Treasurer,  Arthur  C,  Payne,  General  Man- 
ager, and  R.  J.  Ward,  Secretary.  The  company's 
New  York  office  is  located  at  50  East  42nd 
Street,  and  the  London,  England,  office  is  at  Moor- 
gate  Station  Chambers,  Moorgate  Street,  E.  C. 


CHAPTER  FOURTEEN 


The  Textile  Interests 

Early  Importers  of  Dry  Goods — Financial  and  Sales  Management  of  Industry 
Centers  in  New  "I'ork — Cotton,  Woolen  and  Silk  Fabrics  and  Products. 


HOLT'S  A'eiP  Yorl(  Journal  and  Gaine's  A'en' 
York  Gazette  in  1  768  both  carried  in  their 
columns  a  hst  of  the  wholesale  and  importing 
houses  of  New  York,  then  numbering  seventy-four, 
and  including  as  importers  of  dry  goods  Gerard 
William  Beekman,  Walter  and  Thomas  Buchanan, 
Alexander  McDonald  (who  imported  Madeira 
wines  as  a  side-line),  William  Neilson,  Smith 
Ramadge,  Garrett  Rapalje,  P^ter  Remsen,  Wil- 
liam Seton,  John  Thurman,  Jr.,  Jacobus  Van 
Zandt.  and  the  list  doubtless  should  include  others 
who  are  designated  as  "general  importers. 

New  York  continued  to  be  the  center  of  the 
importing  dry  goods  trade  and  that  trade  has 
continued  to  be  in  the  hands  of  merchants  of  great 
repute.  Alexander  T.  Stewart  became  famous 
in  his  day  as  America's  foremost  merchant  and 
there  are  houses  in  the  retail  dry  goods  trade 
that  have  continuously  been  in  business  from  early 
in  the  last  century. 

The  importing  and  wholesale  trade  has  changed 
in  character  in  the  developments  of  the  years.  In- 
ventions in  the  cotton  spinning  and  weaving  in- 
dustry created  great  manufacturing  enterprises  in 
New  England  which  were  largely  financed  and 
managed  from  Boston.  Philadelphia  from  an  ear- 
ly day  was  a  great  textile  manufacturing  center, 
especially  in  woolens. 

The  cotton  goods  trade  of  the  country  has  large- 
ly been  created  and  directed  by  firms  of  commis- 
sion merchants  handling  the  complete  output  of 
mills  and  as  the  larger  firms  found  it  convenient 
to  ,be  prepared  to  supply  the  demands  of  dealers 
for  goods  of  various  grades  and  textures,  the  suc- 
cessful commission  houses  obtained  control  of  the 
sales  business  of  several  mills.  Most  of  the  com- 
mission firms  in  Boston  had  early  found  it  neces- 
sary to  their  success  to  establish  branch  houses 
in  New  York  for  the  handling  of  a  trade  of  na- 
tional scope,  and  the  business  of  these  branches 
soon  developed  into  larger  proportions  than  that 


of  the  Boston  house,  so  that  by  degrees  the  firms 
brought  their  main  business  to  New  York,  which 
became  headquarters,  with  branches  in  Boston. 
This  tendency  became  more  accentuated  with  the 
building  up  during  the  last  three  or  four  decades 
of  the  cotton  goods  industries  of  the  South  whose 
products  from  the  first  have  been  chiefly  handled 
through  New  York  commission  houses.  It  has 
therefore  come  about  by  natural  evolution  that  the 
first-hands  trade  in  domestic  dry  goods,  as  well 
as  the  importing  business  in  foreign  textile  materials 
and  manufactured  goods,  is  for  the  greater  part 
handled  by  New  York  firms,  who  are  the  direct 
sales  representatives  of  domestic  and  foreign 
mills. 

Of  raw  cotton  New  York  is  the  chief  American 
market,  the  transactions  of  the  New  York  Cotton 
Exchange  making  it  the  market  place  for  this  prod- 
uct, though  by  far  the  larger  share  of  the  crop 
bought  and  sold  here  never  passes  through  the 
port  of  New  York.  Cotton  and  cotton  goods  in 
normal  years  is  the  largest  item  of  America's  in- 
ternational trade,  the  value  amounting  to  $1,127,- 
000,000  in  exports  and  imports. 

Formerly  silk  goods  were  handled  upon  practi- 
cally the  same  basis  as  cotton  goods  with  the 
exception  that  the  mills  represented  were  nearly 
all  foreign,  chiefly  French,  Swiss  and  German. 
But  the  American  tariff  made  such  a  barrier 
against  these  goods  that  many  mills  were  estab- 
lished, some  of  them  as  branches  of  the  foreign 
firms  engaged  in  New  York  trade.  From  this 
has  grown  a  great  business  centering  largely  in 
Paterson,  New  Jersey,  and  in  Pennsylvania  cities. 
New  York  is  the  selling  center  of  the  industry 
with  their  offices  and  salesrooms  centered  in  Fourth 
Avenue,  responding  to  an  uptown  movement  v/hich 
began  four  or  five  years  ago  and  has  made  that 
avenue  the  most  important  silk  street  of  the  world, 
and  New  York  the  largest  market  for  silk  goods. 

The  manufacture  of  clothing  is  in  volume  and 


228 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


\aluf  llic  l.ugcsl  ol  llic  iiu.nulactuiing  industries  ol 
the  metropolitan  district,  with  an  output  according 
to  the  manufacturing  census  of  1914,  of  the  value 
of  $546,682,000,  or  16  per  cent  of  metropolitan 
New  ^'ork's  output  of  $3,435,582,000  of  man- 
ufactured goods  in  that  year.  This  garment  in- 
dustry includes  clothing  for  both  sexes  and  is  the 
largest  industry  of  its  kind  carried  cm  in  any  man- 
ufacturing center.  The  clothing  industry  is  only 
one  item  in  the  textile  group  for  the  census  in 
addition  enumerates  "textiles,"  $179,209,000. 
"millinerv  and  lace  goods,  not  elsewhere  speci- 
fied," $78,032,000,  "hats,  fur  and  felt,"  $13,- 
016,000,  and  minor  articles  of  the  textile  trade. 

There  is  an  important  trade  in  carpets  in  New 
York,  which  is  the  central  selling  point  for  all 
the  principal  domestic  carpet  mills  which  are  lo- 
cated at  various  points.  One  large  carpet  factory 
within  the  metropolitan  district  (at  Yonkers)  em- 
ploys more  than  nine  thousand  people  and  the 
carpet  industry  is  so  absolutely  centered  in  New 
York  that  at  the  opening  of  the  carpet  season, 
announced  through  the  trade  press,  the  buyers  of 
practically  every  large  dealer  in  the  country  at- 
tend to  view  styles  and  make  purchases. 

Not  only  is  the  city  the  market  for  the  domestic 
carpet  and  rug  industry  but  it  is  the  importing 
center  to  which  come  the  artistic  products  of  the 
looms  of  the  Near  East,  those  expensive  products 
of  hand  labor  which  have  always  been  the  joy 
to  the  eye  of  the  connoisseur,  and  the  pride  of  the 
wealthy  possessor.  No  market  in  the  world  is  a 
more  ready  buyer  of  these  artistic  products  of  deft 
Oriental  fingers. 

The  retail  trade  in  dry  goods  has  in  New  York 
its  greatest  and  most  successful  emporiums.  Some 
of  us  are  old  enough  to  remember  when  the  Stew- 


art Building  at  Chambers  -Street  and  Broadway 
was  the  largest  and  finest  dry  goods  store  in  Ameri- 
ca and  the  ladies  of  fashion  came  from  their  far- 
away brownstone  fronts  in  the  twenties  to  trade  at 
that  favorite  establishment.  Each  decade  has  seen 
a  movement  of  some  of  the  trade  further  uptown. 
It  halted  at  Fourteenth  Street  for  awhile  with  rami- 
fications upward  on  Sixth  Avenue  until  it  found 
in  Twenty-third  Street  a  center  more  to  its  liking, 
and  many  of  the  fine  concerns  lingered  there  until 
a  few  years  ago,  when  some  of  them  went  to 
Broadway  and  Thirty-Fourth  Street.  There  a 
part  of  the  business  still  remains  with  some  of  the 
principal  stores  in  that  neighborhood  and  West 
on  Thirty-fourth  Street  to  Fifth  Avenue,  up  Fifth 
Avenue  several  blocks  and  a  few  large  firms  have 
forecast  a  future  uptown  trend  by  locating  large 
stores  on  Forty-second  Street. 

Associated  with  this  business  is  a  great  collateral 
interest  in  supplying  a  local  demand  for  a  people 
who  are  unquestionably,  men  and  women,  the  best 
dressed  in  the  country.  The  styles  for  America 
are  set  in  New  York.  Except  the  poor,  the  people 
are  particular  about  their  clothes.  Even  working 
girls  of  New  York  for  the  greater  part  show  in 
the  make,  if  not  in  the  fabric,  of  their  garments  an 
appreciation  of  style.  Perhaps  some  of  them  over- 
do it.  But  New  York's  own  local  market  draws 
a  large  draft  on  the  clothing  and  textile  resources 
of  the  country. 

New  York  dressmakers  and  modistes,  and  its 
fashionable  tailors,  have  a  vogue  throughout  the 
country  and  many  people  from  other  places 
throughout  the  land  make  periodical  visits  to  the 
city  to  buy  their  clothes.  The  products  of  loom 
and  spindle  have  no  more  active  market  any- 
where than  in  New  York. 


The  Second  City  Hall  of  New  York  City. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


CLAFLIN'S  INCORPORATED 


Claflin's  Incorporated,  largest  exclusive  whole- 
sale dry  goods  dealers  in  America,  are  now  en- 
joying a  period  of  unprecedented  success.  Since 
the  present  company  assumed  control  of  the  busi- 
ness the  trade  has  increased  phenomenally  and  the 
coming  year  promises  to  be  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful in  the  house's  history.  Claflin's  Incorpor- 
ated is  the  outgrowth  of  a  modest  business  founded 
by  Horace  B.  Claflin  in  1843.  The  business 
expanded  greatly  in  the  years  preceding  the  Civil 
War  and  has  had  a  steady  growth  since,  until  at 
the  present  time  the  capital  of  the  organization  is 
$6,000,000  while  the  annual  turnover  amounts  to 
many  millions.  The  house  has  no  affiliations, 
confines  itself  strictly  to  the  wholesale  dry  goods 
business  and  is  in  no  wise  connected  with  any  re- 
tail enterprise.  The  officers  of  the  corporation 
are:  Harry  P.  Bonties,  President;  M.  J.  Dona- 
hue, Vice-President;  John  C.  Wood,  Treasurer, 
and  George  F.  Cornwell,  Secretary.  The  firm 
occupies  the  mammoth  warehouse  occupying 
the  entire  block  bounded  by  Worth  and 
Thomas  Streets,  and  Church  Street  and  West 
Broadway. 

While  this  immense  building  has  an  enormous 
floor  space,  the  corporation  rents  1  3  warehouses  in 
the  vicinity  which  cover  a  larger  area  than  the 
main  building  and  gives  a  total  of  700,000 
square  feet  for  the  storage  of  stock  and  display 
purposes,  making  it  one  of  the  largest  establisdi- 
ments  devoted  to  the  exclusive  wholesale  handling 
of  dry  goods  in  America.  The  corporation  em 
ploys  1  75  travelling  salesmen  and  a  vast  army  of 
men  and  women  engaged  in  clerical  work  and 
local  sales.  All  of  the  force  in  the  sales  depart- 
ment are  practical  dry  goods  men,  brought  up 
from  boyhood  in  the  business,  and  the  purchaser 
is  assured,  when  waited  upon,  that  he  is  being 
taken  care  of  by  one  with  thorough  knowledge  of 


the  trade  and  one  that  can  give  him  valuable  sug- 
gestions in  the  selection  of  stock.  Claflin's  In- 
corporated have  carried  as  high  as  $13,000,000 
in  stock  at  different  periods,  but  this  amount  varies 
according  to  season.  The  trade  territory  covered 
by  the  house  includes  the  entire  United  States, 
Canada,  Europe,  South  America,  the  Orient, 
China,  the  Levant  and  India. 

Harry  P.  Bonties,  President  of  Claflin's  In- 
corporated, has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the  dry 
goods  business,  taking  up  that  line  when  but  1 4 
years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1863 
and  his  first  experience  was  in  a  retail  store,  where 
he  remained  for  four  or  five  years.  With  the 
knowledge  of  the  business  gained  in  this  connec- 
tion he  entered  the  wholesale  trade  and  for  1 8 
years  was  with  the  Ely  &  Walker  Dry  Goods 
Company  of  St.  Louis,  being  Vice-President  and 
a  Director  of  that  concern,  when  he  resigned  to 
come  to  New  York  in  1912.  Shortly  after  his 
arrival  here  he  organized  the  Bonties,  Burkhardt 
&  Schultz  Company,  but  discontinued  this  con- 
nection in  1914  to  become  merchandise  manager 
of  H.  B.  Claflin,  Incorporated.  Upon  the  reor- 
ganization of  this  company  and  the  change  of  it? 
title  to  Claflin's  Incorporated,  he  was,  in  February, 
1915,  chosen  President.  Mr.  Bonties  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Merchants'  Club,  the  Union  League 
Club  and  the  Wykagye  Golf  Club.  N.  J.  Dona- 
hue, the  Vice-President,  has  been  in  the  dry  goods 
business  all  his  life  and,  like  Mr.  Bonties,  has 
a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business.  John  C. 
Wood,  the  Treasurer,  has  thirty-five  years'  ex- 
perience to  his  credit  while  the  Secretary,  George 
F.  Cornwell,  has  been  thirty  years  in  the  business. 
With  men  in  control  who  so  thoroughly  under- 
stand every  phase  of  the  trade  it  is  but  natural 
that  the  business  of  Claflin's  Incorporated  should 
show  such  large  and  continuous  growth. 


230 


NEW    YORK^-OLD    AND  NEW 


J.  Harper  Poor 

Amory,  Bi'owne  &  Co.,  Dry  Goods  Commission.    One  of  the  Leading 
riguros  in   the   New   York   Dry  Goods  Trade. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


231 


AMORY,  BROWNE  &  CO, 


The  firm  of  Amory,  Browne  &  Co.,  dry  goods 
commission  merchants,  was  established  in  1 896, 
succeeding  Dana,  Tucker  &  Co.,  of  Boston  and 
New  York.  In  1 906  the  business  was  consoh- 
dated  with  that  of  J.  Harper  Poor  &  Co.  and 
since  that  time  the  trade  has  shown  large  expan- 
sion. J.  Harper  Poor,  the  active  head  of  the 
house  in  New  York  City,  has  been  for  years  one 
of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  the  dry  goods 
commission  business  in  New  ^'ork  City.  He  is 
a  native  of  Boston,  which  city  has  contributed 
50  many  able  men  to  the  textile  trade  here,  and 
was  born  December  1  7,  1862,  the  son  of  Edward 
Erie  and  Mary  (Lane)  Poor.  His  ancestors  were 
English,  the  American  branch  of  the  family  being 
established  by  John  Poor,  who  came  from  Wilt- 
shire, England,  and  settled  at  Newbury,  Mass- 
achusetts, in  1633.  The  family  was  very  promi- 
nent in  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  Bay  State 
and  included  Benjamin  Poor,  who  was  a  noted 
Boston  merchant.  He  married  Aroline  Peabody, 
a  member  of  one  of  the  most  highly  respected 
old  Massachusetts  families.  Miss  Peabody  was 
descended  from  Lieutenant  Francis  Peabody  of  St. 
Albans,  Herts,  England,  who  came  to  America 
in  1 635  and  became  a  large  landowner  in 
Massachusetts.  Benjamin  Poor's  son,  Edward 
Erie  Poor,  father  of  James  Harper  Poor,  became 
a  distinguished  merchant  in  Boston,  afterwards 
removing  to  New  York,  where  he  was  for  years 
a  member  of  the  well-known  dry  goods  commission 
house  of  Denny,  Poor  &  Co.,  and  President  of 
the  National  Park  Bank,  of  this  city.  James 
Harper  Poor  was  educated  in  private  schools  and 
began  his  business  career,  as  a  boy,  with  the  dry 
goods  commission  house  of  Jacob  Wendell  6c  Co. 
In  1 883  he  became  associated  with  his  father's 
firm,  of  which  he  became  a  partner  in  1892.  In 
1898,  with  his  brother,  Edward  E.  Poor,  he  or- 
ganized the  firm  of  Poor  Brothers  and  in  1901 


he  severed  this  connection  to  lorm  the  firm  at  J. 
Harper  Poor  &  Co.,  which  consolidated  with  the 
dry  goods  commission  house  of  Amory,  Browne 
&  Co.,  in  1906.  Mr.  Poor  is  one  of  the  best 
informed  men  in  the  trade,  his  long  experience 
having  given  him  a  thorough  knowledge  of  every 
phase  of  the  business.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
New  York  Yacht  Club,  the  Riding  Club,  the 
Automobile  Club  of  America,  the  Merchants' 
Club  of  New  York,  Metropolitan  Club,  the  Man- 
hattan Club,  the  Racquet  and  Tennis  Club,  Sleepy 
Hollow  Country  Club,  the  Metropolitan  Club  of 
Washin  gton,  D.  C,  and  the  Algonquin  Club  of 
Boston. 

Mr.  Poor  has  many  other  interests  in  ad- 
dition to  membership  in  the  firm  of  Amory, 
Browne  &  Co.  He  is  a  Director  in  Claflins  In- 
corporated, the  Mills  &  Gibb  Corporation,  the 
Lowe  Manufacturing  Company  of  Huntsville, 
Alabama,  of  which  he  is  also  President,  and  a 
Trustee  of  the  Franklin  Savings  Bank.  He  was 
married  in  New  York  City,  January  30,  1885, 
to  Evelyn  Bolton  and  had  two  daughters,  one  sur- 
viving—Mrs. A.  Y.  P.  Garnett,  wife  of  Dr.  A. 
Y.  P.  Garnett  of  Washington,  D.  C.  The 
elder  daughter  died  in  the  year  1915,  her  hus- 
band being  Philip  P.  Gardiner,  now  Major  in 
a  United  States  Regiment  at  Camp  Upton.  The 
firm  of  Amory,  Browne  &  Co.,  of  which  Mr. 
Poor  is  the  directing  local  head,  occupies  the 
building  62  Worth  Street,  extending  through  to 
33  Thomas  Street.  It  represents  a  large  number 
of  Southern  and  Eastern  mills,  the  products  of 
which  are  colored,  brown  and  bleached  cotton 
goods,  ginghams  and  cotton  blankets.  The  entire 
United  States  is  covered  by  the  firm,  which  also 
does  an  extensive  export  business  in  all  countries. 
The  present  members  of  the  house,  in  addition  to 
Mr.  Poor,  are  W.  C.  Baylies  and  C.  M.  Wild  of 
Boston  and  J.  W.  Bird  of  New  York  City. 


232 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


WILLIAM  WHITMAN  C( 

The  William  Whitman  Company,  Incorporated, 
and  the  group  of  mills  for  which  they  act  as  selling 
agents  form  today  an  important  factor  in  the  textile 
mdustry  of  the  world.  With  a  total  combined 
capital  of  $23,700,000,  a  capital  issued  entirely 
for  cash,  and  now  representing  properties  of  a 
far  greater  value,  these  companies  have  aided  sub- 
stantially in  the  development  of  the  textile  trade. 
The  machinery  of  the  different  plants  is  closely 
consolidated  for  the  sake  of  economy,  and  yet 
there  are  more  than  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  looms  and  spindles  and  kmdred  machines  work- 
ing to  produce  the  combined  output.  The  maxi- 
mum capacity  of  the  looms  is  such  that  they  can  pro- 


PANY,  INCORPORATED 

cloth  already  described,  while  a  portion  is  sold 
in  its  natural  state  to  other  manufacturers  of  tex- 
tiles. 1  he  company  market  all  this  product  and 
in  addition,  market  large  quantities  of  yarn  pro- 
duced by  other  domestic  and  foreign  mills  and 
are  today  the  largest  distributors  of  yarn  in  the 
world.  The  company  sold  enough  yarn  during 
the  past  year  to  go  to  the  sun  more  than  ten 
times.  If  this  yarn  alone  were  laid  its  full  length 
just  as  it  came  from  the  spindle  it  would  extend 
more  than  one  billion  miles.  It  is  produced  at  the 
astonishing  rate  of  more  than  one  hundred  and 
three  miles  per  second,  three  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  times  faster  than  the  swiftest  projectile  known 


duce  in  a  single  year  a  strand  of  fabric  that  will 
go  several  times  around  the  world.  This  varies  in 
width  from  twenty-two  inches  to  seven  and  one 
half  feet,  and  in  price  from  four  cents  to  two  dol- 
lars and  seventy-five  cents  per  yard.  Part  of  the 
fabric  is  heavier  and  stronger  than  canvas;  part  is 
as  light  and  sheer  as  gossamer;  part  is  used  for  the 
heaviest  automobile  tires,  and  part  for  the  lightest 
of  women's  scarfs.  In  between  these  extremes  comes 
the  entire  range  of  women's  dress  fabrics  such  as 
serges,  poplins  and  gabardines,  and  the  entire  range 
cf  heavier  fabrics  of  a  similar  character  for  men's 
wear.  Such  is  the  variety  of  this  company's 
product.  This  group  of  mills  produces  also  vast 
quantities  of  yarn  spun  from  wool,  mohair,  cotton 
and  silk.    A  portion  of  this  yarn  is  woven  into  the 


in  modern  warfare.  It  is  spun  from  wools  from 
all  over  the  world,  and  from  all  grades  of  cotton 
such  as  Sea  Island  cotton,  Egyptian  cotton,  and 
other  long  staple  cottons,  including  Peruvian  cotton 
or  what  is  known  as  tree  wool  from  the  Peruvian 
Andes.  Furthermore,  the  bulk  of  this  great  prod- 
uct is  made  up  of  worsted  and  merino  yarns  that 
are  spun  from  the  better  grades  of  cotton.  The 
ordinary  carded  yarns  made  from  the  lower  grades 
of  cotton  constitute  merely  a  minor  portion. 
In  addition,  the  company  market  in  the  form 
of  cloth,  several  hundred  million  miles  of  yarn 
which  is  not  only  spun  but  woven  into  fabric 
by  this  group  of  mills.  To  manufacture  all  this 
yarn  and  cloth  great  quantities  of  raw  material  are 
drawn  from  all  parts  of  the  world.     The  worsted 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


233 


234 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


and  iiK-rmo  machinery  alone  can  consume  tlie 
fleeces  of  more  than  thirty-three  thousand  sheep  in 
the  manufacturing  operations  of  a  single  day. 
The  wools  from  these  fleeces,  including  fleeces  of 
the  Angora  goat  of  Asia  Minor,  are  obtained  from 
many  different  continents.  More  than  two  hun- 
dred thousand  bales  of  cotton  are  consumed  each 
year.  This  embraces  all  varieties  of  cotton,  but 
is  largely  made  up  of  long  staple  cotton  and  the 
better  grades.  To  produce  the  power  required  to 
operate  all  this  textile  machinery  more  than  one 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  tons  of  coal  are  used 
annually. 

The  William  Whitman  Company,  Inc.,  and 
the  group  of  mills  for  which  they  act  as  selling 
agents,  have  been  pioneers  in  promoting  in  this 
country  healthful  working  conditions  for  oper- 
atives. They  have  anticipated  the  requirements 
of  the  law.  The  hygienic  conditions  are  of  the 
highest  standard.  State  officials  are  on  record  as 
reporting  that  these  mills  provide  as  healthful  condi- 
tions as  the  public  schools.  The  particular  mills 
which  are  located  in  Massachusetts  actually  fur- 
nish ten  times  the  space  and  nearly  double  the 
amount  of  fresh  air  required  by  the  laws  of  that 
state  for  its  school  children.  This  group  of  mills 
furnishes  today  more  scientific  regulation  of  mois- 
ture and  temperature  and  better  light  and  air 
than  the  average  home  in  this  or  any  other  country. 
The  industry  of  manufacturing  and  marketing  the 
immense  quantity  of  material  produced  provides 
healthful  employment  for  about  fifteen  thousand 
people.  These  mills,  which  the  William  Whitman 
Company,  Inc.,  control,  or  for  which  they  act  as 
selling  agents,  are  the  Arlington  Mills,  Arcadia 
Mills,  Manomet  Mills,  Nonquitt  Spinning  Com- 
pany, Nashawena  Mills,  Monomac  Spinning  Com- 
pany, Katama  Mills,  Belleville  Warehouse  Com- 
pany, Hoosac  Worsted  Mills,  Naquog  Worsted 
Mills,  all  located  in  New  England  and  the  Cal- 
houn Mills  of  Calhoun  Falls,  S.  C. 

This  wonderful  aggregation  of  industries  is  a 
monument  to  the  genius  of  William  Whitman,  of 
Boston.  He  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia  and  be- 
gan work  when  eleven  years  old.  He  went  to 
Boston  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  and  became 
Treasurer  of  the  Arlington  Mills.  Nearly  all  of 
his  business  life  was  spent  with  that  company,  of 
which  he  eventually  became  President  but  now 
acts  only  in  the  capacity  of  Director  while  the 
William  Whitman  Company,  Inc.,  handles  the 
entire  output  of  the  mills.  Mr.  Whitman  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  company  bearing  his  name,  the  capital 
stock  of  which  is  $4,000,000  common  and  $1,- 
000,000  preferred.  The  other  officers  are:  Vice- 
Presidents,  Arthur  T.  Bradlee,  William  WTiitman 
Jr.  and  Malcolm  D.  Whitman,  who  is  in  charge 
of  the  New  York  office;  Nelson  A.  Hallett. 
Treasurer  in  the  home  office,  and  Roy  L.  Brown- 
ing, Assistant  Treasurer  in  New  York. 


BLISS.  FABYAN  &  CO. 
The  dry  goods  commission  house  of  Bliss,  Fab- 
yan  &  Co.,  which  had  its  origin  in  the  firm  of 

Parks,  Wright  &  Co.,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  has, 
since  the  establishment  of  the  original  firm  in  1832. 
grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  prominent  in  the 
United  States.  After  fifteen  years  of  constantly 
increasing  trade  the  title  of  the  firm  was  changed 
to  Wright  &  Whitman,  and  became  J.  S.  fic  E. 
Wright  &  Company  in  1863,  In  1866  Cornel- 
ius N.  Bliss  became  a  partner  in  the  business  and 
in  1868  he  came  to  New  York  to  assume  charge 
of  the  branch  house  that  had  been  established 
here.  In  1874  the  name  was  again  changed  to 
Wright,  Bliss  &  Fabyan  and  since  I  882  the  busi- 
ness has  been  conducted  under  its  present  title,  the 
present  members  being  George  Fabyan,  Cornelius 
N.  Bliss,  Jr.,  Francis  Wright  Fabyan.  Philip  Y. 
De  Normandie,  Eustis  L.  Hopkins  and  Edward 
B.  Field.  Offices  are  maintained  in  Boston, 
New  York  and  Chicago,  and  a  branch  office  in 
St.  Louis.  Bliss,  Fabyan  &  Co.  act  as  sell- 
ing agents  for  the  Pepperell  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, Androscoggin  Mills,  Hill  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  Palmer  Mill,  Thorndike  Com- 
pany, Boston  Duck  Company,  Bates  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  Edwards  Manufacturing  Company. 
Otis  Company.  Columbia  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, Cordis  Mills  and  the  Warren  Cotton  Mills. 
The  product  handled  is  Pepperell  &  Colonial  wide 
sheetings,  export  drills,  pillow  tubing.  Hill  4-4 
bleached  cottons,  sateens,  contils,  Edwards  cam- 
brics. Bates  crochet  and  satin  quilts.  Bates 
damask.  Palmer  linen  finish  suiting,  Pepperell  & 
Hill  twilled  jeans  for  middy  blouses.  Aero  cloth, 
Bates  Seersucker  ginghams.  Bates  32  inch  Zephyrs, 
draperies  and  grey  specialties  for  converting 
trade,  Otis  underwear,  coverts,  bleached  and 
colored  ducks,  denims,  suiting  stripes,  Otis  checks, 
cassimeres.  Hickory  stripes  for  overalls,  moleskins, 
whipcords  and  suiting  for  the  clothing  trade,  flan- 
nels, ducks,  drillings  and  twills  for  the  shoe  trade, 
twills,  sheetings,  grey  and  colored  fancy  fabrics 
for  the  rubber  trade,  staple  and  fancy  stripe  sateen 
tickings,  blue  and  white  tickings  and  American 
"A"  bags.  Bliss.  Fabyan  &  Co.  cover  the  en- 
tire United  States  with  the  output  of  the  mills  they 
represent  and  in  rounding  out  85  years  of  activity 
they  have  the  assurance  that  no  house  in  the  textile 
trade  has  had  a  more  honorable  career  or  stands 
higher  in  those  business  qualifications  that  bring 
success. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


235 


V 


i 


Joseph  H.  Emery 

EMERY-BEERS  COMPANY,  INC. 


One  of  the  textile  successes  of  the  past  quar- 
ter of  a  century  is  "Onyx"  silk  hosiery,  which  has 
attained  the  unique  distinction  of  a  world-wide 
reputation,  being  familiar  to  wearers  of  hosiery  in 
every  quarter  of  the  globe.  Back  of  every  suc- 
cess is  a  strong  personality.  Some  man  of  marked 
ability  is  mainly  responsible  for  the  growth,  sta- 
bility, character  and  policy  of  every  business.  Such 
a  man  is  Joseph  H.  Emery,  President  of  the 
Emery-Beers  Company,  Inc.,  of  New  York,  who 
are  the  distributors  of  "Onyx."  Born  in  Dover, 
New  Hampshire,  of  English  ancestors  who  came 
from  Romney,  England,  and  settled  in  Newbury. 
Mass.,  in  1635,  Mr.  Emery  came  to  New  York 
as  a  country  lad,  August  15,  1878,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  Lord  &  Taylor  as  a  stock  clerk. 
He  worked  up  through  the  various  positions  of 
Travelling  Salesman,  Department  Manager  and 
Secretary;  upon  incorporation  of  the  firm  finally 
becoming  President  of  that  old  and  well  known 
concern,  July  12,  1916.  During  this  time  he  de- 
veloped the  wholesale  business  from  an  output  of 
$320,000  yearly  to  over  $10,000,000,  inci- 
dentally moving  the  lowly  hosiery  business  into  a 


position  of  the  first  rank  and  finally  reorganizing 
and  taking  sole  possession  of  the  wholesale  busi- 
ness under  the  name  of  Emery-Beers  Company, 
Inc.,  with  offices  and  salesrooms  at  Broadway  and 
24th  Street. 

The  sterling  qualities  inherited  from  Mr-  Em- 
ery's Puritan  American  ancestry  included  a  tre- 
mendous capacity  for  work,  initiative  and  apt- 
itude for  detail  and  organization,  together  with 
an  abihty  to  forecast  the  future  and  the  faculty  of 
judging  the  character  and  ability  of  men,  which 
enabled  him  to  surround  himself  with  a  reliable 
staff  of  assistants  to  carry  his  plans  to  absolute 
success.  Not  content  with  the  demands  made 
upon  him  in  developing  "Onyx,"  Mr.  Emery  has 
found  time  to  devote  to  the  business,  financial  and 
civic  interests  of  the  country  and  his  adopted  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of 
the  United  States  of  America,  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  New  York  City,  the  Merchants' 
Association  of  New  York  and  the  Union  League 
Club.  He  is  also  interested  in  other  commercial 
concerns  and  is  on  the  Board  of  Directors  of  sev- 
eral banks. 


236 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


HUNTER  MANUFACTURING  &  COM- 
MISSION COMPANY 

The  textile  trade  of  the  United  States  has  made 
wonderful  progress  in  the  last  decade.  New 
methods  of  manufacture,  new  processes  of  dyeing, 
improved  machinery  and  the  scientific  operation 
of  mills  have  resulted  in  the  production  of  goods 
equal,  and  in  many  cases  superior,  to  those  manu- 
factured abroad,  where  they  have  had  centuries 
of  experience. 

The  commercial  possibilities  of  cotton  goods 
properly  manufactured  and  properly  distributed 
were  recognized  by  J.  Speight  Hunter  and  others 
who.  in  1897,  incorporated  the  Hunter  Manufac- 
turing &  Commission  Company  under  the  laws  of 
the  State  of  North  Carolina.  Beginning  in  a  small 
way  this  company  moved  steadily  forward  and  its 
motto  has  ever  been  "Good  merchandise,  efficient 
organization  and  honest  dealing."  The  original 
capital  was  small  but  was  increased  from  time  to 
time  in  order  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  growing 
business.  In  1913  the  capital  was  something  over 
a  million  dollars,  and  early  in  May  of  this  yeaf 
the  capital  was  increased  to  approximately  two 
and  a  half  million  dollars. 

Hunter  Manufacturing  &  Commission  Company 
handles  the  entire  product  of  forty  (40)  mills, 
the  output  of  which  consists  of  brown  and  colored 
cotton  piece  goods,  cotton  ducks,  sheets,  quilts  and 
towels.  These  goods  are  staple  and  find  ready 
sale  in  this  country  and  abroad.  The  company 
now  does  a  business  in  excess  of  twenty-five  mil- 
lion dollars.  The  firm  not  only  maintains  a  sales 
organization  which  affords  efficient  distribution 
throughout  the  United  States  but  it  has  an  exten- 
sive organization  for  handling  merchandise  in  for- 
eign markets.  The  main  office  of  the  firm  is  58-60 
Worth  Street,  New  York,  with  branch  offices  in 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Chicago,  St. 
Louis,  San  Francisco,  Los  Angeles  Greensboro, 
N.  C,  Caracas,  Venezuela,  Buenos  Aires,  Argen- 
tina, and  Havana,  Cuba. 

We  believe  no  other  firm  in  this  country  has 
done  more  in  recent  years  to  promote  export  busi- 
ness in  cotton  goods. 


TURNER-HALSEY  COMPANY 

One  of  the  youngest  houses  in  the  textile  trade 
of  the  city  and  one  of  the  most  successful,  despite 
Its  youth,  is  the  Turner-Halsey  Company,  of  62 
Leonard  Street,  which  was  organized  April  1, 
1908,  by  Hamilton  Turner  and  C.  D.  W.  Hal- 
sey.  When  Hamilton  Turner  died.  Spencer 
Turner  came  into  the  corporation,  of  which  he 
is  now  Vice-President,  Mr.  Halsey  being  the 
President.  These  two  gentlemen  constitute  the 
active  directing  force  of  the  house  and  give 
personal  attention  to  the  local  trade  and  the  con- 
cern's various  ramifications  throughout  the  world. 
Mr.  Halsey  is  a  native  of  Chicago  and  a  gradu- 
ate of  The  University  of  Chicago.  He  was  associ- 
ated with  the  J.  Spencer  Turner  Company  and  has 
served  sixteen  years  in  the  business  where  he  has 
gained  a  most  comprehensive  knowledge  of  every 
detail  of  the  textile  industry.  Mr.  Turner  is  a  New 
Yorker  and  a  graduate  of  Yale  University.  He 
secured  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  manufactur- 
ing end  of  the  business  while  serving  as  Assistant 
General  Manager  of  the  International  Cotton  Mills, 
supplementing  this  with  several  years'  association 
with  J.  Spencer  1  urner  Company.  He  is  a  Di- 
rector of  the  Mt.  Vernon-Woodberry  Cotton  Mills, 
Inc.,  of  Baltimore,  which  was  reorganized  in 
1915,  when  the  Turner-Halsey  Company  became 
the  exclusive  selling  agent.  These  mills  have  the 
reputation  of  producing  the  best  heavy  cotton 
ducks,  twills,  wide  drills,  enameling  duck,  hose 
and  belting  ducks,  rope,  twine  and  yarns  produced 
in  this  country.  The  Turner-Halsey  Company 
have  branches  in  Boston,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore, 
Chicago  and  New  Orleans,  with  agents  in  St. 
Louis,  San  Francisco,  Kansas  City,  St.  Paul, 
London,  Havana,  Porto  Rico,  and  Buenos  Aires. 
It  also  has  correspondents  in  Norway,  Sweden. 
Denmark  and  Holland.  In  addition  to  being  sole 
distributors  of  the  product  of  the  Mt.  Vernon- 
Woodberry  Mills,  Inc.,  the  Turner-Halsey  Com- 
pany acts  as  selling  agents  for  ten  other  mills. 
These  are  located  principally  in  the  South  and  the 
products  are  light  goods,  prints  and  yarns.  There  is 
perhaps  no  other  house  in  the  textile  trade  here  that 
has  done  more  to  exploit  American  goods  abroad. 
The  Turner-Halsey  Company  has  made  this  a  fea- 
ture of  the  business  and  the  products  of  the  mills 
it  represents  are  well  and  favorably  known  in  every 
country  throughout  the  world. 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


237 


MILLS  &  GIBB  CORPORATION 


One  of  the  oldest  houses  in  the  textile  trade 
in  New  York  City  is  the  Mills  &  Gibb  Corpora- 
tion, which  occupies  the  large  building  at  Fourth 
Avenue  and  Twenty-second  Street.  The  busi- 
ness was  established  in  1865  by  John  Gibb  and 
Philo  L.  Mills  and  was  successfully  conducted  for 
many  years  at  Broadway  and  Grand  Street.  The 
firm  was  incorporated  in  1 899,  with  John  Gibb 
as  President  and  Philo  L.  Mills,  Vi:s-Pres:dent. 


poration.  The  entire  business  was  reorganized 
November  28.  1916,  when  George  R.  Fogarty 
became  Manager  of  the  Mills  &  Gibb  Corpora- 
tion. He  was  elevated  to  the  Presidency  in  Jan- 
uary. 1917.  Mr.  Fogarty  has  had  many  years' 
experience  in  the  business  and  since  he  became  the 
corporation's  Manager,  and  later  its  President, 
he  has  greatly  widened  the  trade  territory  cov- 
ered and  largely  increased  the  output.     He  wa» 


New  Building  of  Mills  &  Gibb  Corporation 


Mr.  Mills  died  in  England.  August  25.  1905, 
and  Mr.  Gibb  passed  away  four  days  later  at 
Islip,  Long  Island.  The  business  was  continued 
by  the  same  organization,  of  which  H.  Elmer 
Gibb  became  President  and  Lewis  M.  Gibb. 
Vice-iPresident.  In  1910  the  company  removed 
to  the  fourteen-story  building  which  was  erected 
for  the  exclusive  occupancy  of  Mills  &  Gibb. 
Inc.,  and  is  still  occupied  by  the  succeeding  cor- 


born  in  Port  Hope.  Ontario,  Canada,  May  9. 
1875,  and  was  educated  in  his  home  province. 
He  went  to  Chicago  in  1 892  and  affiliated  with 
the  house  of  John  V.  Farwell  fic  Co.  He  re- 
mained in  Chicago  for  nine  years  and  gained  a 
full  and  complete  knowledge  of  the  business.  Hi» 
experience,  quick  grasp  of  conditions  and  executive 
ability  led  the  Chicago  concern  to  make  him  its 
New  York  representative  in   1901.  and  he  soon 


238 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


became  a  well-known  figure  in  the  commercial  life 
of  the  city.  When  the  interests  controlling  th« 
Mills  6c  Gibb  business  determined  to  reorganize, 
they  looked  the  field  over  for  the  most  available 
man  to  direct  the  destinies  of  the  house  and  finally 
settled  on  Mr.  Fogarty  and  he  was  made  Man- 
ager. The  manner  in  which  he  handled  every 
detail  of  the  business  satisfied  the  directors  that 
they  had  made  no  mistake  in  the  selection  and 
two  months  later  he  was  given  entire  executive 
charge  of  the  corporation.  Mr.  Fogarty  is  well 
known  to  the  trade  and  is  a  popular  member  of 
the  Manhattan  Club  and  the  Essex  County  Coun- 
try Club. 

The  products  handled  by  the  Mills  &  Gibb 
Corporation  have  always  had  a  reputation  for 
high  quality.  They  are  importers,  manufacturers 
and  converters  of  the  various  specialties  in  which 
they  lead,  including  laces,  linens,  handkerchiefs, 
ribbons,  veilings,  notions,  curtains,  kid  and  fabric 
gloves,  white  goods  and  wash  fabrics  and  carry 
one  of  the  heaviest  slocks  of  these  goods  in  the 
city. 

The  corporation  has  domestic  selling  offices  in 
Boston,  Philadelphia,  Chicago  and  San  Francisco 
and  foreign  offices  in  Calais  and  Paris,  France, 
and  in  Nottingham,  England. 


WOODWARD,  BALDWIN  &  CO. 
The  firm  of  Woodward,  Baldwin  &  Co.  ranks 
among  the  oldest  and  most  reputable  in  the  textile 
trade.  The  business  was  established  previous  to 
the  Civil  War  and  was:  at  one  time  conducted  by 
Jones  &  Woodward  and  then  William  Wood- 
ward &  Co.,  finally  becoming  Woodward,  Bald- 
win &  Co.  The  members  of  the  firm  at  that  time 
were  William  Woodward,  W.  H.  Baldwin,  Jr., 
and  C.  C.  Baldwin.  Upon  the  death  of  these 
gentlemen  the  business  was  continued  under  the 
same  name  by  the  heirs,  with  the  addition  of  rew 
partners.  William  H.  Baldwin  is  now  in  active 
charge  and  under  h\s  direction  the  firm  has  ex- 
tended its  ramifications  and  largely  increased  its 
business.  The  trade  territory  covered  includes  the 
entire  United  States,  China,  South  America  and 
Africa.  The  firm  handles  nothing  but  cotton 
goods,  placing  the  output  of  forty  southern  mills, 
the  products  of  which  are  sheetings,  drills,  ducks, 
ooiting  and  romper  cloths.  The  offices  and  sales- 
rooms of  Woodward,  Baldwin  &  Co.  are  located 
at  43  Worth  Street,  where  a  full  line  of  samples 
of  all  the  goods  handled  is  exhibited  in  a  large, 
well-lighted  room. 


DEERING,  MILLIKEN  &  COMPANY 
The  firm  of  Deering,  Milliken  &  Company  was 
established  in  1  865  by  William  Deering  and  Seth 
M.  Milliken.  From  a  small  beginning  it  ha? 
grown  in  its  fifty-two  years  to  very  large  pro- 
portions. 

Mr.  Deering  withdrew  in  1  869  and  built  up  the 
Deering  Harvester  Company,  of  which  concern 
he  was  the  head  until  it  combined  with  the  Mc- 
Cormicks  and  other  concerns  forming  the  Interna- 
tional Harvester  Company.  Mr.  Deering  died  in 
1914. 

Mr.  Milliken  remained  at  the  head  of  the  grow- 
ing house  until  his  retirement  from  business  in 
1915.  The  history  of  the  dry  goods  commission 
business  during  the  last  half  century  contains  the 
achievements  of  this  Maine  boy  who  by  singular 
ability  developed  and  enlarged  his  manufacturing 
and  merchandizing  undertakings  as  he  had  as  a 
young  man  in  his  native  town  broadened  the  busi- 
ness of  the  general  store  which  came  under  his 
management. 

He  is  of  Scotch  descent,  the  first  Millikens  hav- 
ing come  to  Maine  in  1 650.  Mr.  Milliken  was 
born  January  7,  1836.  His  business  career  began 
when  he  was  about  twenty,  after  the  usual  com- 
mon school  and  academy  study,  supplemented  by 
a  short  period  of  teaching. 

For  thirty  years  he  was  a  Director  in  The  Mer- 
cantile National  Bank,  New  York  City,  becoming 
its  President  temporarily  during  the  financial  de- 
pression of  1907,  and  its  continuation  was  largely 
due  to  his  firm  management  and  acumen. 

During  his  active  years  he  was  an  Officer  and 
Director  in  very  many  manufacturing  corpora- 
tions. He  was  also  a  Trustee  or  Director  of  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company,  The  Bowery 
Savings  Bank,  The  Trust  Company  of  America 
and  the  Fidelity  Bank. 

Since  coming  to  New  York  in  the  '60s  he  has 
been  closely  identified  with  the  large  interests  of 
the  city.  Although  not  entering  to  any  extent 
into  politics,  he  has  always  staunchly  supported 
the  Republican  Party,  and  in  1  892  was  elected  a 
Presidential  Elector  of  his  State. 

Mr.  Gerrish  H.  Milliken  after  the  retirement 
of  his  father  became  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Deer- 
ing, Milliken  &  Company,  the  other  partners  of 
the  firm  being  Samuel  D.  Brewster,  Harold  A. 
Hatch,  Thomas  P.  Curtis,  Daniel  W.  Farns- 
wortb,  Henry  Maxwell,  Albert  L.  Fitzpatrick 
and  George  H.  Eypper. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


239 


THE  BIGELOW-HARTFORD  CARPET 
COMPANY 

The  Bigelow-Hartfard  Carpet  Company,  the 
largest  concern  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
carpets  in  the  United  Slates,  was  organized  Octo- 
ber 14,  1914.  It  can  claim,  through  its  prede- 
cessors, to  be  the  pioneer  in  that  industry  as  the 
business  was  originally  established  in  New  York 
City,  January  1,  1837,  by  two  brothers,  Alvin 
and  Elias  S.  Higgins,  under  the  firm  name  of  A. 
&  E.  S.  Higgins.  They  were  engaged  only  in 
the  sale  of  carpets  at  that  time  but  began  the  ac- 
tual manufacturing  of  carpeting  in  1840.  In 
1850  another  brother,  Nathaniel  D.  Higgins,  en- 
tered the  firm  and  the  name  was  changed  bo 
A.  &  E.  S.  Higgins  &  Company.  In  1857,  Al- 
vin Higgins  retired  and  the  business  was  continued 
as  E.  S.  Higgins  &  Co.  Nathaniel  D.  Higgins 
died  January  10,  1882,  and  E.  S.  Higgins  on 
August  18,  1889.  On  March  23,  1892.  the 
plant,  stock  and  business  was  transferred  to  the 
E.  S.  Higgins  Carpet  Company,  a  corporation  or- 
ganized to  continue  the  business.  On  February 
26,  1901,  the  Hartford  Carpet  Corporation  was 
organized  and  took  over  the  plant,  stock  and  busi- 
ness of  the  E.  S.  Higgins  Carpet  Company,  and 
the  land,  buildings,  plant,  stock  and  business  of  the 
Hartford  Carpet  Company. 

The  Bigelow  Carpet  Company,  organized  in 
1854,  by  H.  N.  &  E.  B.  Bigelow.  who  as  part- 
ners had  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  car- 
pets as  far  back  as  1828,  acquired  the  business 
and  plant  of  the  Lowell  Manufacturing  Company, 
which  was  organized  in  1828  for  the  manufacture 
of  carpets  in  Lowell,  Mass.  Upcn  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  Hartford  Carpet  Corporation  and  the 
Bigelow  Carpet  Company,  these  various  plants 
were  included  in  the  organization,  making  it  one  of 
the  largest  in  its  line  in  this  country,  with  mills  in 
Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  a  wage  list  of  9,- 
000  employees  and  a  capital  of  $f 3. 550. 000. 
The  annual  turnover  is  from  $18,000,000  ti 
$20,000,000.  These  large  fi-^ures  cive  some  idea 
of  the  magnitude  of  the  company's  business,  which 
has  increased  fully  fifty  per  cent  in  recent  years. 
This  great  increase  is  due  to  the  quality  of  the 
product,  which  h?s  given  the  Bigelow-Hartfo'd 
C  rpet  Corrpanv  a  reout^tion  for  e'^durance  in 
wear,  beauty  of  design  and  ?rti'tic  bleeding  of 
delicate,  non-fadeable  colors  and  ti^ts.  The 
products  of  the  company  include  tirestry,  velvet, 
axminster  and  Jacquard  fabri-:',  both  in  carpels 
and  rugs.  These  are  manufactu'ed  in  va^-'ous 
qualities  and  fifty  different  lines  constitute  the  cut- 
put.  The  company  make  a  specialty  of  H^rtfo'd 
Saxony  and  Hotel  carpets  of  high  gr?de.  In  fa-t, 
the  entire  product  of  the  company  is  of  a  high 
character,  which  accounts  for  the  superseding  of 
foreign-made  '~arpets  by  those  of  this  purely  Ameri- 


can organization,  which  prides  itself  on  the  good 
merchandise  it  produces  and  a  progressive  and  ab- 
solutely fixed  policy  of  conducting  business.  The 
trade  territory  covered  includes  the  entire  United 
States.  The  officers  of  the  Bigelow-Haitford 
Carpet  Company  are:  Preside-t,  R.  P.  Perkins; 
Vice-President,  W.  E.  Lyford;  Secretary,  George 
S.  Squire,  and  Assistant  Tre  surer,  F.  H.  Dek- 
nalel.  The  office  of  Treasurer  is  vacant,  by 
reason  of  the  recent  death  of  George  E.  Perkins. 
The  company  has  offices  and  extensive  show 
rooms  at  25  Madison  Square. 


WELLINGTON,  SEARS  &  CO. 
The  firm  of  Wellington,  Sears  &  Co.,  dry  goods 
commission  merchants,  was  established  in  Boston 
in  1855  by  Nehemiah  Boynton,  Eleazer  Boynton 
and  Abraham  Hervey,  under  the  firm  name  of  N. 
Boynton  &  Co.  This  firm  was  succeeded  by 
Wellington,  Sears  &  Co.,  which  is  now  composed 
of  William  H.  Wellington,  Horace  S.  Sears, 
Lincoln  Grant,  Stanwood  G.  Wellington,  John 
H.  Bennett,  Charles  O.  Richardson  and  Harry 
L.  Bailey.  The  firm  has  a  force  of  about  125 
employees  and  acts  as  selling  agent  for  a  group 
of  mills  located  in  New  England  and  the  Southern 
states,  the  products  of  which  are  cotton,  silk, 
worsted  and  mohair  goods,  bunting,  and  woolen  and 
worsted  dress  goods.  The  trade  territory  includes 
the  entire  world  and  the  business  has  shown  a 
healthy,  normal  increase  during  the  last  five  years. 
The  long  career  of  the  house  has  been  marked 
by  its  intense  patriotism.  During  the  Civil  War, 
Mr.  Nehemiah  Boynton,  of  the  original  firm,  was 
of  great  assistance  to  Governor  Andrews  of 
Massachusetts  in  raising  funds  to  equip  thai  Slate's 
quota  for  military  service.  The  loyalty  to  the 
Government,  shown  at  that  time,  still  exists  as  is 
proven  by  the  action  of  the  firm  in  posting  the  fol- 
lowing notice  in  the  Boston  headquarters,  the  New- 
York  City  office  at  66  Worth  Street  and  the 
branch  offices  in  Philadelphia,  Chicago,  St.  Louis, 
New  Orleans  and  San  Francisco:  "The  Liberty 
Bond  must  be  carried  through  to  a  brilliant  suc- 
cess. This  firm  has  subscribed  heavily  itself  and 
to  encourage  subscriptions  by  our  employees  we 
now  offer  to  present,  dollar  for  dollar,  from  ad- 
ditional subscriptions  which  we  will  make  for  that 
purpose,  to  every  one  in  our  employ  (whose  salary 
does  not  exceed  $3,000  per  annum)  an  amount 
payable  in  Liberty  Bonds  equal  to  the  individual 
subscription  made  by  such  employees  up  to  ten 
per  cent  of  their  yearly  salaries.  All  subscriptions 
must  be  filed  with  the  firm.  The  payments  are 
to  be  made  on  the  basis  of  $1.00  per  week  for 
each  $50.00  bond  purchased." 


240 


A'EW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


UNITED  SI  AIES  WORSTED 
COMPANY 
To  keep  up  with  the  constantly  increasing  de- 
mand for  American  worsteds  the  United  States 
Worsted  Company,  of  Boston,  Mass.,  has  ac- 
quired a  group  of  New  England  mills  that  makes 
it  the  largest  producer  of  that  character  of  goods 
in  the  United  States.  The  company  was  incor- 
porated in  1913  with  Andrew  Adie  as  President; 
John  Simson,  Vice-President,  and  C.  W.  Souther, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer.  J.  B.  Kirkaldy  is  .Sell 
ing  Agent,  with  offices  and  salesrooms  ;»t  257 
Fourth  Avenue.  The  company  is  capitalized  at 
$10,000,000  and  the  products  of  the  various 
plants  are  fancy  worsteds,  piece  dyes  and  mixtures, 
men's  wear  and  dress  goods.  A  specialty  is  made 
of  serges  and  these  goods  find  ready  purchasers 
in  every  part  of  the  United  States.  New  York 
City  IS  the  principal  selling  point  of  the  company 
as  this  city  is  headquarters  for  all  buyers  and  the 
majority  of  the  cutting-up  trade  is  located  here. 
The  mills  owned  and  operated  by  the  company  are 
Uswoco  Mills,  Lawrence,  Mass.,  Dyeing  and 
Finishing  Department,  Lawrence,  Mass.,  Mus- 
ketaquid  Mills,  Lowell,  Mass.,  Silesia  Mills, 
North  Chelmsford,  Mass.,  Iroquois  Mills,  .Saugus, 
Mass..  and  the  Saxony  Mills,  Newton.  Mass. 
These  plants  require  a  large  staff  of  working 
people  for  their  operation,  the  predominating  na- 
tionality of  the  employees  being  American.  I  he 
popularity  of  the  company's  products  has  been  at- 
tained by  keeping  them  up  to  the  highest  standard 
and  giving  customers  just  what  they  buy,  the 
policy  of  the  company  being  to  manufacture  the 
highest  quality  fabrics  at  lowest  possible  prices , 
quick  deliveries  and  dependable  promises. 


GENERAL  SILK  IMPOR  I  ING  COM- 
PANY. INC. 

The  General  Silk  Importing  Company.  Inc.,  of 
which  Marcus  Frieder  is  President,  was  originally 
established  under  the  name  of  the  Villa.  Steams 
Company,  and  assumed  its  present  title  about  two 
years  ago.  The  company  is  engaged  in  the  im- 
portation of  raw  silk  only  and  to  facilitate  its  busi- 
ness maintains  foreign  branches  in  Yokohama, 
Japan;  Shanghai,  China;  Shameen.  Canton;  Mil- 
nn,  Italy,  and  Lyons,  France.  The  general  of- 
fices are  located  at  25  Madison  Avenue,  New 
York  City,  and  agencies  in  the  Bourse  Building, 
Philadelphia,  and  the  Howard  Building,  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island.  The  General  Silk  Importing 
Company,  Inc.,  is  unquestionably  the  largest  Ameri- 
can firm  handling  raw  silks  in  this  country  and  the 
immense  amount  of  its  imported  product  is  dis- 
tributed to  the  various  mills  throughout  the  United 
States,  the  Klots  Throwing  Company,  an  allied 
organization,  receiving  about  twenty-five  per  cent 
of  the  total  importation.  This  company,  of  which 
Mr.  Frieder  is  also  President,  is  the  largest 
in  its  line  in  the  world.  It  has  large  plants  at 
Carbondale,  Archibald,  Forest  City,  Scranton  and 
Moosic,  Pennsylvania,  Fredericksburg  and  Alex- 
andria, Virginia ;  Cumberland  and  Longaconing, 
Maryland,  and  Keyser.  West  Virginia.  These 
combined  mills  give  employment  to  a  vast  army  of 
people  and  the  annual  turnover  is  large  and  con- 
stantly increasing  on  account  of  the  growing  de- 
mand for  American  made  silk  fabrics.  Another 
company  of  which  Mr.  Frieder  is  President,  and 
one  that  is  closely  allied  with  the  General  Silk  Im- 
porting Company,  Inc.,  and  the  Klots  Throwing 
Company,  is  the  National  Spun  Silk  Company, 
whose  mills  are  located  at  New  Bedford,  Massa- 
chusetts. To  all  of  these  enterprises  Mr  Frieder 
gives  his  personal  attention  and  each  one  of  them 
occupies  a  high  place  in  the  textile  world. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


241 


SALT'S  TEXTILE  MANUFACTURING  COMPANY 


More  than  three  quarters  of  a  century  ago  Sir 
Titus  Salt  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present 
American  organization  known  as  the  Salt's  Textile 
Manufacturing  Company,  with  mills  at  Bridgeport, 
Connecticut,  Darby,  Pennsylvania,  Lyons,  France, 
which  is  an  outgrowth  of  the  English  concern 
of  Sir  Titus  Salt,  Bart  Sons  &  Co.,  Limited, 
with  extensive  mills  in  the  model  town  Saltaire, 
near  Bradford,  England,  which  the  philanthropic 
manufacturer  founded  for  his  employees.  The 
noted   novelist   Charles   Dickens,    in  "Household 


Founder    of    Salt's    Textile    Manufacturing  Coniijany, 


Words"  published  in  1836,  describes  in  his  in- 
imitable way  the  beginning  of  this  great  com- 
pany, whose  interests  and  purchasing  powers 
are  felt  around  the  globe.  In  1891  part  of 
the  English  organization  came  to  America  and 
shortly  afterwards  the  American  company  came 
into  existence.  The  Darby  mills  were  acquired 
later  and  are  operated  under  the  name  of  the 
Griswold  Worsted  Co.,  although  the  same  in- 
terests control  both.  The  officers  are:  Freder- 
ick E.  Kip,  President;  C.  Frederick  Stead.  Vic*- 
President;  Frederick  Rhodes.  Treasurer,  and 
Ruloff  F.  Kip.  Secretary.  The  offices  and  sales 
rooms  are  located  at  38  East  Twenty-fifth  Street. 


The  mills  of  the  Salt's  Textile  Manufacturing 
Company  are  among  the  largest  in  the  country 
and  are  constructed  and  maintained  along  the 
same  sanitary  lines  established  by  Sir  Titus 
Salt  in  his  anginal  undertaking.  The  product 
is  conceded  to  be  the  best  of  its  character  man- 
ufactured in  any  country  and  consists  of  silk  vel- 
vets, silk,  mohair  and  silk  plushes,  "Sealette,"  and 
"Saltex-Fur"  fabrics.  The  company  also  manu- 
factures reproductions  of  Baby  Lamb  fur.  Arcadian 
Lamb,  Pony  skin,  mole  skin  and  sealskin  so  nat- 
ural that  when  made  into  garments,  fur  expert- 
can  scarcely  distinguish  one  from  the  other.  In 
fact,  the  Salt's  Textile  Manufacturing  Co.  excel  in 
the  manufacture  of  all  pile  fabrics  and  the  pre- 
eminence of  Salt's  fur  cloths  is  due  solely  to 
quality,  merit  resulting  from  eighty-one  years  of 
effort,  bath  here  and  abroad,  to  produce  the  best 
goods,  and  the  organization  which  is  the  largest 
and  most  complete  in  the  world  has  attained  this 
result.  The  process  of  imitating  natural  furs  is  a 
secret  one  often  requiring  the  mast  costly  ma- 
chinery, and  while  other  manufacturers  operate 
under  the  original  process,  the  Salt's  Textile  Com- 
pany. Inc.,  has  made  many  improvements  that 
place  its  product  in  a  class  by  itself. 

The  company  prints  and  publishes  "The  Salt's 
Seller"  in  magazine  form,  in  which  is  given 
the  first  "pulse"  of  what  is  coming  in  the  creations 
and  demands  of  the  fashion  centres.  The  organ- 
ization sells  to  the  creators  of  these  modes 
in  all  parts  of  the  world  and  it  is  there- 
fore in  a  position  to  obtain  first  and  authentic 
information  as  to  every  hat  or  garment  in  which 
pile  fabrics  figure.  The  importance  of  this  in- 
dustry is  apparent  when  it  is  realized  that  this 
country  did  not  become  a  factor  in  the  manufacture 
of  silk  velvets  until  late  in  the  1  9th  Century,  while 
now  90  per  cent  of  the  silk  velvets  used  in  America 
are  manufactured  here.  In  this  production  the 
Salt's  Textile  Manufacturing  Company  figures 
largely.  It  purchases  raw  materials  in  various 
parts  of  the  globe  of  silk,  cotton  and  mohair,  and 
ships  them  to  their  various  mills  where  they  are 
spun,  woven,  dyed  and  finished  to  produce  the 
wonderful  Salt's  silk  velvets  and  pile  fabrics  so 
familiar  to  the  merchants  and  women  of  America. 
The  organization  is  a  wonderful  one,  the  master 
mind  of  the  aggregated  mills  missing  no  opportunity 
to  improve  quality — if  that  is  possible. 


242 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


HARDING.  1 ILTON  &  COMPANY 
Few  people  outside  the  textile  trade  are  cog- 
nizant of  the  growing  importance  of  the  cotton 
goods  industry  in  the  United  States.  Hundreds 
of  mills  have  been  built  within  the  last  few  years, 
necessitated  by  the  increasmg  foreign  demand  for 
the  American  product.  New  York  City  is  un- 
questionably the  sales  center  of  these  goods  and 
there  is  no  more  active  firm  engaged  in  the  dis- 
posal of  cotton  fabrics  than  Harding,  Tilton  &  Co., 
of  320  Broadway.  This  house  was  organized 
July  I,  1908,  by  Charles  L.  Harding,  formerly 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Harding,  Whitman  &  Co., 
who  brought  to  the  new  organization  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  every  detail  of  the  business.  His 
associate  in  the  formation  was  Newell  W.  Tilton, 
who  had  been  an  employee  of  the  firm  of  which 
Mr.  Harding  was  a  member.  Mr.  Tilton  had  a 
practical  knowledge  of  manufacturing  through  his 
service  of  some  years  in  cotton  mills,  where  he 
worked  among  the  looms.  This  experience  was  of 
great  value  to  him  when  he  became  associated  with 
the  sale  of  cotton  goods  as  his  familiarity  with 
the  mill  output  from  the  raw  material  to  the  finished 
product  gave  him  a  decided  advantage  over  those 
with  only  a  theoretical  training.  Mr.  Harding's 
executive  ability  and  thorough  knowledee  of  the 
trade  made  a  combination  that  brought  immediate 
success  to  the  firm  and  it  is  now  recognized  as  a 
leader  in  the  field.  The  goods  handled  by  Hard- 
ing, Tilton  &  Co.  are  cotton  yarns,  cotton  cloth 
and  worsted  yams.  These  products  come  from 
mills  in  the  South  and  East,  for  twelve  of  which 
the  firm  are  exclusive  selling  agents,  while  the  par- 
tial output  of  others  is  handled. 


CLIFT  &  GOODRICH 

Clift  &  Goodrich,  one  of  the  largest  houses  in 
the  country  handling  knit  underwear  on  a  com- 
mission basis,  was  organized  in  1 908  by  a  com- 
bination of  the  business  of  Edward  H.  Clift,  then 
conducted  at  74  Leonard  Street,  and  that  of  Ed- 
ward I.  Goodrich,  who  was  also  engaged  in  the 
knit  underwear  trade.  The  business  carried  on 
by  Mr.  Clift  previous  to  the  amalgamation  had 
been  established  many  years  before  and  was  then 
operated  under  the  firm  name  of  Critten,  Clift  & 
Company,  Mr.  Clift  becoming  sole  owner  after 
the  death  of  Mr.  De  Frees  Critten,  which  oc- 
curred November  29,  1907.  The  house  of  Clift 
&  Goodrich  is  now  located  in  the  large  building 
at  80  Leonard  Street,  and  a  visit  to  their  sales 
department  will  give  some  indication  of  the  im- 
mense volume  of  business  being  done.  Branches 
are  maintained  in  Chicago,  Philadelphia  and  Bos- 
ton and  the  trade  territory  embraces  the  entire 
United  States.  Mr.  Clift,  until  his  recent  death  the 
senior  member  of  the  firm,  had  been  engaged  in  the 


same  line  since  boyhood  and  was  rigidly  trained  in 
every  phase  of  the  business.  Mr.  Goodrich  entered 
the  employ  of  W.  H.  &  A.  D.  Rowe  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  who  were  engaged  in  the  underwear  busi- 
ness in  1883,  becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  in 
1896.  Two  years  later  he  started  on  his  own  ac- 
count and  built  up  the  large  business  which,  in 
1908,  was  merged  with  that  of  Mr.  Clift.  All 
members  of  the  firm  are  recognized  as  experts  in 
the  underwear  line  and  are  leading  factors  in  the 
trade. 


TAYLOR.  CLAPP  &  BEALL 
New  York  City,  which  has  a  reputation  for  the 
longevity  and  integrity  of  its  commercial  firms,  has 
few  that  are  older  or  stand  higher  in  the  business 
world  than  Taylor,  Clapp  &  Beall,  dealers  in  cot- 
ton goods  at  1 09  Worth  Street.  The  business 
came  down  to  the  present  firm  through  a  suc- 
cession of  changes  and  was  first  founded  in  1827 
under  the  name  of  Fish,  Alley  &  Lawrence,  be- 
coming later  Lawrence,  Clapp  &  Co.,  afterwards 
Lawrence  Taylor  &  Co.,  and  eventually  Taylor, 
Clapp  &  Beall.  The  members  of  the  present  firm, 
organized  in  1916,  are  William  A.  Taylor,  Ar- 
thur P.  Clapp  and  Jeremiah  Beall.  All  the  mem- 
bers have  been  in  the  business  for  many  years — in 
fact  their  entire  commercial  lives  have  been  associ- 
ated with  textiles.  Mr.  Taylor  entered  the  firm 
32  years  ago.  Mr.  Clapp  was  also  a  member  of 
preceding  firms  and  his  father  had  been  the  part- 
ner of  Mr.  Taylor's  father  in  the  house  of  Law- 
rence, Clapp  &  Co.  Mr.  Beall,  the  other  member 
of  the  trio,  has  been  a  partner  for  a  number  of 
years  and  connected  with  the  business  for  twenty- 
two  years.  The  period  of  time  covered  by  this 
house  is  brought  out  strongly  by  the  life  story  of 
one  of  its  employees.  He  came  to  the  business  as 
a  boy  and  shortly  before  his  death  had  rounded 
out  seventy  years  of  service  with  his  first  em- 
ployers and  their  successors.  The  firm  of  Taylor, 
Clapp  &  Beall  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the  textile 
line  in  New  York  City.  It  represents  mills  in 
New  England  and  New  York  State  and  carries 
on  an  extensive  commission  and  converting  business. 
In  addition  to  its  large  domestic  trade  a  large  ex- 
port business  is  conducted  which  covers  every  com- 
mercial center  in  the  civilized  world.  The  prod- 
ucts handled  are  bleached  and  brown  wide  sheet- 
ings, sheets  and  pillow  cases,  bleached  shirtings^ 
cambrics,  mulls,  nainsooks,  long  cloths  and  jeans. 
Owing  to  the  long  experience  and  knowledge  of  the 
members  of  the  firm  the  trade  has  expanded  wonder- 
fully in  recent  years  and  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful periods  in  its  history  is  looked  for  during 
the  coming  year. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


243 


CATLIN  &  COMPANY 

The  firm  of  Catlin  &  Company,  dealers  in  cot- 
ton goods,  with  estabhshments  in  New  York  City, 
Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Chicago,  was  established 
at  2  I  6  Church  Street,  in  1  880,  by  Julius  Catlin 
and  Dudley  W.  Van  Ingen.  In  1886  the  firm  of 
Joy,  Lmcoln  &  Motley  was  amalgamated  with 
Catlin  &  Co.,  under  the  latter  name.  This  union 
brought  Lowell  Lincoln  into  the  affairs  of  the 
house  and  he  finally  became  the  dominant  per- 
sonality in  the  firm,  having  as  his  associates  Charles 
E.  Sampon,  Samuel  S.  Widger  and  Arthur  J. 
Cumnock.  Mr.  Lincoln,  who  had  not  been  active 
in  the  firm's  affairs  for  some  time,  died  September 
2,  1917,  and  the  business  was  continued  by  the 
surviving  partners.  Trenor  L.  Park  was  one  of 
the  partners  from  I  894  until  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1907.  The  offices  of  the  firm  were  removed 
from  the  Church  Street  address  in  1901,  to  the 
present  location,  345  Broadway,  corner  of  Leon- 
ard Street.  The  house  of  Cadin  &  Co.  sells  its 
products  in  all  the  markets  of  the  world.  The 
firm  employs  a  force  of  1 50  and  specializes  in 
sheetings,  drills,  flannelettes,  ginghams,  cotton 
yarns  and  cotton  blankets.  These  goods  are  the 
output  of  some  of  the  best  American  mills  and  their 
quality  has  been  one  of  the  important  factors  in 
building  up  Cadin  &  Co.'s  large  trade  in  every 
section  of  the  land. 


PARKER.  WILDER  &  COMPANY 

The  firm  of  Parker.  Wilder  &  Co.,  one  of 
the  oldest  textile  houses  in  the  country,  was  es- 
tablished in  1 820.  Its  organizers  were  Isaac 
Parker  and  Jonas  M.  Melville,  who  began  busi- 
ness under  the  name  of  Isaac  Wilder  &  Co.,  at 
60  Broad  Street,  Boston.  The  business  was  con- 
ducted for  many  years  at  this  address  and,  the 
firm  later  becoming  Parker,  Wilder  &  Co..  it 
was  removed  to  4  Winthrop  Square.  The  house 
invaded  the  New  York  field  some  years  ago  and 
has  offices  and  salesrooms  at  2  1  5  Fourth  Avenue. 
The  partners  are  S.  Parker  Bremer  and  Samuel 
Rindge,  who  look  after  the  New  England  end 
of  the  business,  while  the  other  members  of  the 
firm,  George  A.  Adam,  William  D.  Judson  and 
Alfred  B.  Wade,  have  the  New  York  office  in 
charge.  The  goods  handled  by  Parker,  Wilder 
&  Co.  are  woolens  for  men's  and  women's  wear, 
cotton  sheetings,  ducks,  crashes,  bed  spreads, 
sheets  and  pillow  cases.  It  is  strictly  a  commission 
house  and  the  firm  acts  as  selling  agents  for  the 
Naumkeag  Steam  Cotton  Mills  Company,  the 
Boott  Mills,  the  Monadnock  Mills,  the  Talbot 
Mills.  Stirling  Mills,  Gonis  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany. Belvidere  Woolen  Company.  Cocheco 
Manufacturing  Company.  Windham  Manufac- 
turing  Company,    Charles   A.   Stevens   &  Co., 


Lincoln  Woolen  Co.,  Homestead  Woolen  Mills  and 
D.  Goff  &  Son,  all  of  which  are  located  in  New 
England.  The  firm  is  the  oldest  in  the  business 
operating  under  the  original  name  and  the  territory 
covered  includes  the  entire  domestic  field,  while 
many  of  the  products  are  exported.  A  large  sell- 
ing force  is  employed  and  the  firm's  business  hai 
shown  a  large  increase  in  recent  years. 


J.  H.  LANE  &  CO..  INC. 

Prominent  among  the  commission  houses  engaged 
in  the  textile  trade  is  that  of  J.  H.  Lane  &  Co., 
Inc.,  of  334  Fourth  Avenue,  of  which  F.  Coit 
Johnson  is  President. 

The  business  was  established  in  1  883  by  J.  H. 
Lane  who  had  previous  to  that  time  been  a  part- 
ner in  the  firm  of  Ammidown,  Lane  &  Co.  and 
was  for  thirty  years  conducted  on  Worth  Street, 
moving  uptown  in  1912. 

The  other  officers  of  the  company  are  E.  W. 
Spurr,  Vice-President;  J.  W.  Lane,  Treasurer, 
and  J.  M.  Tallman,  Secretary  and  Assistant 
Treasurer.  The  company  handles  the  product  of 
a  number  of  Eastern  and  Southern  Mills,  making 
heavy  ducks  for  the  mechanical  rubber  trade,  auto- 
mobile tire  fabrics,  drills,  sheetings  and  yarns. 


WATTS,  STEBBINS  &  CO. 
Among  the  big  and  successful  concerns  in  New 
York's  textile  trade  is  the  firm  of  Watts,  Stebbins 
&  Co..  which  succeeded  the  house  of  Grinnell. 
Willis  &  Co.  founded  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 
The  present  firm  took  over  the  business  June  1 . 
1916.  and  is  composed  of  Ridley  Watts,  Horace 
C.  Stebbins.  Charles  H.  Murphy.  Arthur  R.  John- 
son. Benjamin  S.  Dennis  and  C.  Whitney  Dall. 
All  the  members  of  the  firm  have  been  connected 
with  the  textile  trade  for  many  years  and  their 
long  experience  has  resulted  in  a  very  large  increase 
in  the  business  throughout  the  United  States  and 
a  most  noticeable  extension  of  the  house's  export 
business.  Watts.  Stebbins  &  Co.  represent  many 
mills  in  eastern  and  southern  sections,  the  product 
of  which  is  brown  and  bleached  sheetings,  cam- 
brics, lawns,  long  cloths,  nainsooks,  wide  sheetings, 
drills  and  shrunks.  Like  many  of  the  other  commer- 
cial houses  of  the  city,  Watts,  Stebbins  &  Co.  has 
contributed  its  quota  for  active  military  servic* 
abroad,  Mr.  Stebbins  and  Mr.  Dall  being  Majors 
in  the  National  Army.  Both  Mr.  Watts  and 
Mr.  Stebbins  have  interests  outside  of  the  firm, 
Mr.  Watts  being  a  Director  of  the  Chemical  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  Issaqueena  Mills,  of  Central, 
North  Carolina,  while  Mr.  Stebbins  is  a  Director 
of  the  National  Park  Bank.  The  firm's  office  and 
salesrooms  are  at  42  and  44  Leonard  Street,  in 
the  heart  of  the  district  which  the  textile  trade 
has  pre-empted. 


244 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEIV 


JACOB  S.  BERNHEIMER  &  BRO. 

The  house  of  Jacob  S.  Bernheimer  &  Bro.  is 
ihe  outcome  of  the  old  firm  of  Bernheimer  Bros., 
which  business  was  estabhshed  over  70  years  ago. 
The  organizers  of  the  busmess  retired  many  years 
ago  and  the  present  firm,  which  was  organized  in 
1902,  consists  of  Meyer  Stern,  WilHam  S.  Fried- 
lander,  and  Julian  A.  Heilman,  who  had  served 
long  apprenticeships  with  this  firm. 

Mr.  Stern,  the  senior  member  of  the  firm,  en- 
tered the  business  as  an  office  boy  in  1876. 

Mr.  Friedlander  became  associated  with  the 
house  in  1878,  and  Mr.  Heilman,  who  has  since 
died,  (in  August,  1917),  came  with  the  house  in 

1884. 

Jacob  S.  Bernheimer  &  Bro.  are  converters, 
buying  and  selling  their  own  goods,  and  do  business 
all  over  the  world,  having  an  unusually  large  ex- 
port trade,  as  well  as  a  large  domestic  trade. 
Their  products  consist  of  bleached  goods,  dyed 
goods,  and  printed  goods,  fancy  weaves,  and  con- 
verted cotton  goods  of  every  description,  all  being 
distributed  under  the  celebrated  "Mulhouse" 
Brand. 

I  hey  have  representatives  in  all  local  cities  in 
the  United  States  and  in  every  commercial  center 
abroad.  The  annual  turn-over  runs  into  millions 
of  dollars,  and  the  trade  has  increased  fully  40 
per  cent  in  the  last  five  years.  They  employ  25 
traveling  salesmen,  in  addition  to  the  local  staff, 
and  occupy  the  eight  floors  and  basement  of  the 
building  from  Nos.  27  to  33  White  Street,  which 
are  used  for  stock  and  storage  purposes.  In  ad- 
dition, the  firm  has  various  warehouses  throughout 
the  country,  where  large  quantities  of  package 
goods  are  stored. 


GEORGE  B.  DUREN  &  SONS 
The  firm  of  George  B.  Duren  &  Sons,  of  57 
Leonard  Street,  well  and  favorably  known  in  tex- 
tile circles  on  account  of  its  business  integrity,  was 
founded  by  George  B.  Duren  who  has  spent  his 
entire  life  in  the  textile  line  and  whose  reputation 
for  honesty,  even  when  a  salesman,  extended  to 
every  business  center  in  the  country.  The  other 
members  were  the  sons,  Harry  L.  and  William 
A.  Duren.  They  acted  as  selling  agents  for  the 
Manville  Company,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
and  handled  Chambray  ginghams,  linen  finish, 
plain,  stripes,  checks  and  Jacquards,  colored  wash 
goods,  voiles,  tissues,  and  woven  gabardine  skirt- 
ings, white  dotted  dress  Swiss,  fancy  white  goods, 
36-inch  white  and  colored  curtain  Swiss  and 
Madras  color  craft  draperies  and  "Linfeel"  mer- 


cerized napkins,  which  are  hemmed  and  run  in 
15.  18,  20  and  22  inch  sizes. 

The  original  firm  was  dissolved  and  terminated 
by  the  recent  death  of  Mr.  George  B.  Duren, 
the  senior  partner  of  the  firm. 

Messrs.  Harry  L.  Duren,  the  eldest  son  of  Mr. 
George  B.  Duren,  and  a  partner  since  the  organi- 
zation of  the  firm  in  1898;  Walter  M.  Irving 
who  has  been  identified  with  the  selling  agencies 
of  the  Manville  account  for  the  past  25  years; 
and  Jerry  W.  Lefson,  (formerly  of  Letson  and 
Hashagen)  in  charge  of  the  department  for  the 
cutting  up  trade  for  the  last  two  years,  have 
formed  a  co-partnership  and  will  continue  the  use 
of  the  firm  name  of  George  B.  Duren  &  Sons, 
acting  as  Selling  Agents  for  the  Manville  Com- 
pany, at  the  same  location. 


THE  PHOENIX  SILK  MANUFACTUR- 
ING COMPANY 
One  of  the  oldest  concerns  engaged  in  the 
silk  industry  in  this  country  is  the  Phoenix  Silk 
Manufacturing  Company,  which  has  long  since 
passed  the  three  quarter  of  a  century  mark  in  its 
career  of  continuous  and  prosperous  business  ac- 
tivity. The  company  was  originally  chartered 
in  1824,  at  which  time  its  one  small  mill  at 
Paterson,  N.  J.,  was  adequate  to  supply  all 
the  demands  for  its  product.  As  the  use  of 
American-made  silks  increased,  the  company  found 
it  necessary  to  enlarge  the  Paterson  plant,  but 
even  the  additions  in  equipment  at  the  original 
mill  did  not  suffice  to  meet  the  constantly  growing 
trade  and  in  1 882  a  new  mill  was  erected  at 
Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  whicli  the  most  san- 
guine of  the  company's  officers  thought  would 
suffice  to  supply  the  demand  for  years  to  come. 
The  two  mills  were,  however,  soon  overtaxed  and 
in  1  888  another  mill  was  built  at  Pottsville,  Penn- 
sylvania. This  group  of  mills  is  equipped  with 
2,000  dress  silk  looms,  300  ribbon  looms  and  75,- 
000  spindles,  which  makes  the  Phoenix  Silk  Man- 
ufacturing Company  one  of  the  biggest  producers 
of  silk  goods  in  America.  The  company  covers 
the  United  States  with  its  product  and  has  a  stead- 
ily increasing  export  trade.  It  employs  a  large 
force  of  travelling  salesmen  and  the  store  and 
clerical  staff  at  the  company's  headquarters,  334 
Fourth  Avenue,  is  likewise  large.  The  officer* 
of  the  company  are:  President,  Benjamin  B.  Tilt; 
Vice-President  and  Treasurer,  Albert  Tilt,  and 
Secretary  Col.  William  S.  Patten.  The  company's 
mills  are  conducted  along  the  most  approved  hy- 
gienic lines  and  the  large  force  of  working  people 
labor  in  large,  well-lighted  rooms  where  the  at- 
mospheric conditions  do  not  impair  health. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


245 


PAULSON.  LINKROUM  &  CO.,  INC. 

The  business  of  Paulson,  Linkroum  &  Co.,  Inc., 
dealers  in  cotton  yarns,  was  originally  founded  in 
1865,  the  firm  at  that  time  being  Dodd  &  Buck- 
ingham. In  1877  Mr.  Buckingham  organized 
the  firm  of  Buckingham  &  Paulson,  in  association 
with  Leonard  Paulson,  who  came  from  the  house 
of  John  M.  Conway  to  form  the  new  connection. 
In  1903,  after  the  death  of  Mr.  O.  W.  Buck- 
ingham, additional  capital  was  required  in  th- 
business  and  Courtlandt  Linkroum,  who  at  that 
time  was  Treasurer  and  Manager  of  the  1  ludson 
Coal  Company,  joined  Mr.  Paulson  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  firm  of  Paulson,  Linkroum  &  Co.  Up- 
on the  death  of  Leonard  Paulson,  December, 
1915,  his  interest  was  taken  over  by  Courtlandt 
Linkroum  and  Leonard  C.  Linkroum  and  on  July 
1,  1917,  the  firm  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  the  State  of  New  York  with  Courtlandt  Link- 
roum as  President,  Leonard  C.  Linkroum,  Treas- 
urer and  Manager  and  Charles  R.  Erith,  Secretary. 
The  amount  of  capital  of  the  new  corporation  is 
$1,100,000,  a  sum  sufficiently  large  to  carry  on 
the  house's  extensive  trade  throughout  the  United 
States  and  the  export  territory  covered.  Paulson, 
Linkroum  &  Co.,  Inc.,  has  always  dealt  in  cotton 
yarns  exclusively  and  is  one  of  the  best  known 
houses  in  the  trade.  It  has  exclusive  control  of 
the  output  of  twelve  mills  and  handles  a  large  part 
of  the  production  of  fifty  others,  all  of  which  are 
located  in  the  South.  The  offices  and  vvaierooms 
are  at  87  Leonard  Street,  New  York  City. 


A.  M.  HINMAN  CORPORATION 
The  business  of  the  A.  M.  Hinman  Corpora- 
tion, occupying  the  buildings  at  8-10  White  Street, 
was  first  established  in  1 844  by  Hubert  van 
Wagenen.  Mr.  Hinman  entered  the  business 
ten  years  ago  when  the  firm  became  Hinman 
&  Taylor,  and  upon  incorporation  in  1917  the 
title  was  changed  to  the  A.  M.  Hinman  Corpora- 
tion. The  company  repacks  and  refolds  dry  goods 
for  the  various  firms  engaged  in  business  here  and 
makes  bales  for  export  use.  It  also  does  sample 
card  work  and  the  goods  handled  reach  every  part 
of  the  world.  Mr.  Hinman,  who  is  the  active 
head  of  the  business,  which  has  grown  to  large 
proportions  in  the  last  decade,  knows  the  require- 
ments of  the  various  ports  to  which  the  customers 
of  the  house  consign  goods  and  he  is  trying  to  edu- 
cate the  many  firms  to  conform  to  these  require- 
ments. He  claims  that  if  he  is  authorized  to  do 
so,  he  can  prepare  the  shipments  so  that  no  trouble 
will  ensue,  and  the  export  trade  if  given  to  the 
A.  M.  Hinman  Corporation  without  instructions 
will  reach  tlie  various  destinations  in  strict  accord- 
ance with  all  foreign  rules.  The  company  employs 
fifty  people  and  its  business  shows  a  very  large  per- 
centage of  increase  in  the  last  ten  years. 


J.  SPENCER  TURNER  CO. 
One  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  houses  in  New 
^'ork  selling  cotton  goods  is  J.  Spencer  Turner 
Co. 

Established  in  1810  as  Brinckerhoff  &  Lireen- 
ough,  with  headquarters  in  John  Street,  it  became 
successively  Fox  &  Polhemus.  Theodore  Polhemus 
&  Co.,  Brinckerhoff,  Turner  &  Polhemus,  Brinck- 
erhoff, Turner  &  Company,  and,  finally,  was  in- 
corporated in  1896  under  the  name  of  J.  Spencer 
Turner  Co. 

The  head  office  is  at  86  Worth  Street,  New 
York  City,  with  branches  at  Chicago,  Boston, 
Hamilton,  Ontario,  Canada,  and  in  London,  Eng- 
land; also  in  Manchester,  England. 

This  house  has  been  actively  associated  with 
the  cotton  duck  industry  in  the  United  States  and 
Canada.  Its  mills  are  very  large  producers  of  all 
kinds  of  cotton  duck  and  its  trade-mark  "Ontario" 
is  known  practically  throughout  the  entire  world 
as  the  J.  Spencer  Turner  Co.  has  always  special- 
ized in  the  export  business. 

Among  its  mills  are  the  Stark  Mills  of  Man- 
chester, New  Hampshire,  where  are  made  Wide 
Drills,  1  wills.  Sateens  and  Cotton  and  Linen 
Crashes,  as  well  as  Perfection  Army  Duck.  The 
goods  made  by  the  Stark  Mills  are  known  as  the 
standards  for  such  lines. 

The  J.  Spencer  Turner  Co.  sells  the  product 
of  its  Canadian  mills  very  largely  in  Canada  and 
in  the  export  trade  where  the  brands  "Yarmouth" 
and  "Imperial"  mean  the  best  grade  of  duck. 

The  present  officers  of  J.  Spencer  Turner  Co. 
are  J.  E.  Rousmaniere,  President,  and  Leonard 
Goodwin,  Treasurer. 


LINEN  THREAD  COMPANY 
The  Linen  Thread  Company,  which  is  selling 
its  product  to  at  least  twenty  departments  of  the 
Government  for  war  service,  has  shown  its  loyalty 
to  the  American  cause  by  offering  through  its 
President,  W.  W.  Barbour,  its  entire  output  to 
the  United  States  and  has  signified  its  intention  to 
ignore  all  private  demands  until  the  Government'; 
needs  are  satisfied.  The  products  of  the  Linen 
Thread  Company  are  used  in  about  fifty  articles  of 
equipment  for  the  infantry,  navy  and  marine 
branches,  and  paraphernalia  for  ambulance,  artil- 
lery and  aeroplane  service,  together  with  tents  and 
ropes.  The  company  controls  and  operates  1 5 
plants  located  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  the 
most  extensive  of  which  is  located  at  Paterson, 
N.  J.,  where  315,000  square  feet  of  floor  space 
is  devoted  to  the  production  of  the  company's 
goods.  In  placing  these  large  plants  at  the  serv- 
ice of  the  Government,  the  Linen  Thread  Com- 
pany has  shown  a  spirit  of  patriotism  worthy  of 
emulation  by  other  manufacturers  throughout  the 
country. 


246 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


H.  R.  MALLINSON  &  CO. 

In  keeping  with  the  enormous  increase  of  the 
silk  industry  in  this  country,  H.  R.  MaUinson  & 
Co.  have  from  time  to  time  added  to  their  pro- 
ducing plants  until  they  now  operate  large  mills  in 
Astoria.  L.  I.,  Erie,  Pa.,  West  Hoboken  and 
Paterson,  N.  J.  The  firm,  which  consists  of  H. 
R.  Mallinson  and  C.  Irving  Hanson,  succeeded 
M.  C.  Migel  &  Co.,  who  established  the  business 
about  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  during  that 
period  the  United  States  has  become  the  greatest 
silk  producing  country  m  the  world,  the  quantity 
of  raw  silk  consumed  exceeding  that  of  any  other 
country.  Some  idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  industry 
can  be  gleaned  from  the  fact  that  the  total  value 
of  the  raw  silk  imported  in  the  fiscal  year  1917 
was  $156,000,000  against  $1  19,000.000  m  the 
former  high  record  year,  1916.  In  quantity  thii 
represented  33.869,000  pounds  against  33,071.- 
000  pounds  in  1916. 

Of  the  many  manufacturers  converting  this  im- 
mense amount  of  raw  silk  into  finished  products, 
H.  R.  Mallinson  &  Co.  rank  among  the  leaders. 
They  manufacture  the  highest  grade  of  broad  silks 
which  find  ready  sale  throughout  the  United  States 
and  abroad.  The  firm  employs  fully  one  thousand 
hands  and  has  handsome  display  and  sales  rooms 
at  1 36  Madison  Avenue,  corner  of  Thirty-first 
Street,  and  an  agency  in  Paris.  A  specialty  is 
made  of  three  brands  known  as  "silks  de  luxe". 
These  are  "Pussy  Willow",  "Khaki  Kool"  and 
"Will  o'  the  Wisp".  H.  R.  Mallinson  &  Co. 
are  members  of  the  Rice  Leaders  of  the  World 
Association  by  reason  of  the  quality  of  goods 
manufactured,  best  service  to  the  trade  and  the 
honor  and  integrity  displayed  in  all  business 
dealings. 


CHENEY  BROTHERS 

Just  as  the  United  States  is  the  greatest  silk 
manufacturing  country  in  the  world,  Cheney 
Brothers  is  the  largest  silk  manufacturing  con- 
cern. The  story  of  the  Cheney  silk  mills  is  con- 
temporaneous with  the  growth  of  the  industry  in 
this  country.  The  firm  was  organized  in  No- 
vember, 1837,  by  Ralph,  Ward  and  Frank 
Cheney,  in  association  with  E.  H.  Arnold.  A 
small  mill  was  erected  at  South  Manchester,  Conn., 
the  following  year  and  from  this  humble  origin 
a  mammoth  organization  has  developed.  The 
first  energies  of  the  firm  were  devoted  to  the  manu- 
facture of  sewing  silk  and  the  first  practical  ma- 
chine for  its  production  was  patented  by  Frank 
Cheney  in  1847.  Previous  to  this  time  Ward 
Cheney  had  learned  the  main  paints  of  silk  dyeing 
and  his  knowledge  was  successfully  applied  to  the 
business  after  extensive  experimenting.  In  1854 
ribbon  mills  were  established  by  the  company.  The 
rapid  growth  of  the  business  is  shown  by  the  con- 
struction of  separate  spinning  mills  in  1872.  In 
1 880  the  mills  began  weaving  plush  and  velvet. 
The  Grant  reel  was  invented  in  the  mills  in  1882. 
This  machine  revolutionized  silk,  cotton  and  worsted 
winding  throughout  the  world. 

In  the  mills  at  South  Manchester  both  raw  and 
spun  silk,  by  various  processes,  are  converted  into 
the  finished  material.  Cheney  Brothers  is  the  only 
organization  in  the  world  that  handles  every  phase 
of  silk  development  from  the  raw  product  to  the 
finished  material  and  manufactures  such  a  wide 
range  of  fabrics.  The  several  mills  at  South 
Manchester  have  36  acres  of  floor  space.  There 
are  in  the  group  dyeing  and  finishing  mills,  spun 
silk  mills,  velvet  mills,  spun  silk  dressing  mill, 
throwing,  upholstery  and  dress  goods  weaving 
mills,  a  yarn  dyehouse,  ribbon  mills,  a  velvet  weave 
shed,  box  factory,  storehouse,  machine  shop  and 
office.  There  are  5,000  employees.  The  sales- 
rocrms  are  located  at  Eighteenth  Street  and  Fourth 
Avenue,  New  York  City. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


247 


J.  P.  STEVENS  &  CO. 


The  constantly  increasing  textile  trade  of  the 
United  States  is  handled  no  more  successfully  in 
any  of  the  large  cities  than  in  New  York,  where 
experienced  merchants  have  largely  added  to  the 
output  of  the  Eastern  and  Southern  mills  and  have 
made  American  goods  popular  throughout  the 
world.  Prominent  among  the  firms  engaged  in 
this  work  is  that  of  J.  P.  Stevens  &  Co.,  which 
represents  some  of  the  largest  and  oldest  manu- 
facturing concerns  in  the  country.     The  firm  was 


Massachusetts,  New  Hampshire  and  South  Caro- 
lina. Among  these  are  the  Pemberton  Mills, 
which  produce  cotton  fabrics.  They  entered  the 
field  in  I  860  and  in  the  ensuing  years  have  built 
up  a  nation-wide  reputation  for  quality.  The 
Methuen  Mills,  established  in  I860,  are  also 
producers  of  cottcrn  goods,  which  bear  an  equally 
high  reputation.  The  Stevens  Linen  Works,  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  linens  since  1 846, 
have  successfully  competed  with  goods  of  foreign 


From  an  Early  Painting  of  the  Stevens  Mills,  North  Andover,  Mass.,  1813-1918. 


organized  in  1899  by  Mr.  Stevens,  to  act  as  sell- 
ing agents  for  the  M.  T.  Stevens  &  Sons  Com- 
pany, the  products  of  which  prior  to  that  time 
had  been  sold  by  Faulkner,  Page  &  Co.  The 
goods  handled  are  woolens,  worsteds,  cottons  and 
linens  and  the  trade  territory  covered  includes  the 
entire  United  States,  with  an  annually  increasing 
export  business.  The  mills  for  which  J.  P. 
Stevens  &  Co.  are  selling  agents  are  located  in 


make  and  are  extensively  used  throughout  the  coun- 
try. The  Pelzer  Manufacturing  Company,  of  Pel- 
zer,  South  Carolina,  was  established  in  1881.  Its 
products  and  trade-marks  are  well  known  in  all 
foreign  and  domestic  markets.  The  Belton  Mills, 
established  in  I  899,  also  have  extensive  export  con- 
nections. The  principal  account  of  the  firm  is 
that  of  M.  T.  Stevens  &  Sons  Co.,  manufacturers 
of  woolens  and  worsteds.     This  firm  operates  a 


248 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEIV 


number  ol  ir.ills.  including  the  original  plant  cvtab- 
lished  by  Mr.  Stevens'  grandfather  in  1813  and 
it  has  successfuly  survived  for  over  one  hundred 
years  under  the  management  of  the  members  of 
the  family  of  the  founder. 

Mr.  Stevens,  who  is  the  active  head  of  the 
house  of  J.  P.  Stevens  &  Co.,  has  been  in  the 
textile  business  since  1 884  and  the  experience 
gained  by  thirty-three  years  of  service  is  of  the 


utmost  \aluc  in  his  present  connection.  He  is  ab- 
solutely familiar  with  every  branch  of  the  trade 
and  has  a  most  comprehensive  knowledge  of  tex- 
tiles, which  enables  the  firm  to  meet  conditions 
both  here  and  abroad.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
active  and  alert  men  in  the  business  and  his  efforts 
have  secured  a  large  clientele  for  the  house.  The 
main  offices  of  the  firm  are  located  at  23  Thomas 
Street,  with  salesrooms  at  229  Fourth  Avenue. 


New  York   Public   Library,  .Sth  Avenue  and  42nd  Street. 


CHAPTER  FIFTEEN 


Overseas  Trade  of  New  York 


Always  a  Great  Export  and  Import  Center,  New  York  Now  Has  More  Than 
Half  of  the  Country's  Foreign  Trade. 


DEPENDENT  in  its  early  years  upon  Holland 
and  Britain  for  many  of  its  necessities.  New 
York  has  been  from  its  inception  as  New  Am- 
sterdam a  center  of  foreign  commerce.  It  was 
founded  by  merchants  of  Amsterdam,  Haarlem 
and  Hoorn  as  a  trading  port  for  furs,  began  ship- 
building when  New  Amsterdam  was  merely  a  col- 
lection of  a  few  dozen  huts,  and  later,  as  the  place 
grew  and  finally  became  New  York,  thrived  be- 
cause of  its  trade  overseas.  Both  the  Netherlands 
and  England  endeavored  to  restrict  its  foreign 
trade  to  dealings  with  themselves  exclusively,  and 
after  the  establishment  of  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment was  for  awhile  restramed  by  wars  and 
restrictions  from  which  the  Jay  Treaty  freed  us, 
and  later  by  embargoes  and  the  second  war  with 
England.  Since  that  was  settled  the  United  States 
has  enjoyed  the  freedom  of  the  seas  and  New 
York  has  steadily  advanced  to  the  position  of  one 
of  the  world's  greatest  centers  of  foreign  commerce. 

The  advantages  of  New  York  for  industries 
of  importing  and  exporting  are  not  surpassed  by 
any  other  city  in  the  world.  Commerce  depends 
for  its  success  very  largely  on  mutuality.  A  world 
commercial  center  to  reach  the  highest  success  must 
have  imports  to  balance  its  exports.  Herein  lies 
the  great  advantage  of  New  York  as  the  head 
and  front  of  America's  importing  and  exporting  in- 
terests. Its  harbor  facilities  are  the  best.  Its 
communications  with  all  sections  by  rail  and  water 
give  it  great  advantages  as  a  place  of  transship- 
ment either  in  exports  or  imports.  Its  vast  pop- 
ulation gives  it  the  man-power  to  handle  all  such 
business  on  the  largest  scale.  Its  terminal  facili- 
ties, vast  dockage  and  unsurpassed  harbor,  dwelt 
upon  in  a  former  chapter,  are  great  contributors  to 
its  position  as  an  importing  and  exporting  point. 

In  Colonial  days  for  a  long  time  New  York 
was  behind  other  sections  in  the  volume  of  its 
foreign  business.     Massachusetts  was  ahead  of  it 


for  seventy  years.  South  Carolina  surpassed  New 
York  in  exports  for  several  years  after  the  Revolu- 
tion but  by  1801  New  York  with  exports  of 
$19,851,136  became  the  leader  in  exports,  which 
it  has  ever  since  continued  to  be.  In  the  last 
decade  of  the  Eighteenth  Century  the  comparative 
value  of  exports  received  at  the  principal  ports  of 
the  United  States  by  states  was:  New  York,  $96.- 
301.978;  Massachusetts,  $70,412,561;  Penn- 
sylvama.  $94,634,209;  Maryland.  $86,349,- 
370;  Virginia.  $43,497,959;  South  Carolina. 
$58,691,656;  Georgia,  $8,558,469.  The  next 
decade,  first  of  the  Nineteenth  Century,  showed 
exports  of  the  ten-year  period  to  total  for  New 
York,  $96,519,666;  Massachusetts.  $71,862.- 
957;  Pennsylvania,  $61,312,823;  Maryland, 
$46,025,861;  Virgmia,  $42,971,064;  South 
Carolina,  $65,980,180;  Georgia,  $17,445,859; 
Louisiana,  $14,606,214.  There  came  a  time 
after  that  when  cotton  was  king  and  New  Orleans 
surpassed  New  York  in  the  volume  of  exports,  the 
total  value  of  exports  from  New  \  ork  in  the 
decade  1831-1840  being  $180,058,426,  and 
of  New  Orleans,  $255,943,097  ;  and  in  the  decade 
1841-1850  the  exports  were  from  New  York 
$301,815,779  in  value,  and  from  New  Orleans 
$328,772,388.  With  these  exceptions  New  York 
has  not  been  equalled  during  this  century  in  either 
imports  or  exports  by  any  other  American  city. 
Its  precedence  has  been  especially  marked  from 
1860  on.  In  1860  this  city  had  65.4  per  cent 
of  the  imports  and  23.9  per  cent  of  the  exports  of 
the  United  States;  in  1870  had  64.4  per  cent  of 
the  imports  and  50  per  cent  of  the  exports;  in 
1880  had  68.8  per  cent  imports  and  46.9  per 
cent  exports;  in  1890  imports  65.4  per  cent,  ex- 
ports 40.6  per  cent;  in  1900  imports  63.2  and 
exports  36.1  per  cent;  and  in  1910  imports  60.1 
and  exports  37.3  per  cent. 

The  effect  of  the  Civil  War  was  to  divert  the 


250 


NEIV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


trade  ol  ihe  W  est  horn  the  Mississippi  River  route 
to  the  rail  and  water  routes  to  the  Atlantic  Sea- 
board, and  especially  to  New  York,  at  a  time 
when  there  was  an  increased  foreign  demand  for 
the  products  of  the  West.  There  has  been  a 
considerable  recuperation  of  the  South  since  1890. 
but  before  that  its  progress  toward  commercial 
recovery  was  very  slow.  Since  1913  the  ag- 
gregate foreign  commerce  of  New  York  has  aver- 
aged more  than  two  billions  of  dollars  a  year,  ac- 
tual figures  for  1913  being:  Imports,  $1,048,320,- 
629;  exports,  $917,935,988;  total  $1,966,256,- 
617.  For  I9I4:  Imports,  $1,040,380,526; 
exports.  $864,546,388;  total  $1,904,846,914. 
For  1915:  Imports,  $931,01  1,058;  exports  $  1 

1 93,581 .088 ;  total  $2. 1 24.592. 1 46.  The  total 
foreign  commerce  of  the  port  of  New  York  for 
the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30.  1916.  amounted 
to  $3,805,882,129.  This,  however,  included 
gold  and  silver  as  well  as  merchandise  exports  and 
imports  and  compared  with  $2,555,672,244  on 
the  same  basis  in  the  year  ended  June  30.  1915. 
and  $2,079,375,997  m  1914.  New  York's 
share  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  United 
States  in  the  fiscal  year  ended  June  30,  1916,  was 
52.5  7  per  cent.  In  exports  of  domestic  merchan- 
dise alone,  excluding  exports  of  gold  and  silver 
and  of  foreign  merchandise,  the  port  of  New  York 
did  an  export  business  amounting  to  $2,372,000,- 
824,  comparing  with  $2,050,2  1  7,826  at  all  other 
ports  and  with  $4,422,218,650  in  the  whole 
United  States.  New  York's  share  in  the  mer- 
chandise exports  of  the  country  was  53.63  per 
cent.  The  business  done  by  New  York  in  exports 
and  imports  in  the  past  few  years  is  not  only  larger 
than  that  of  any  other  port  in  the  world,  but 
breaks  the  world  record.  A  recent  statement  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  State  of  New 
York  well  summarizes  the  actual  standing  of  the 
port  of  New  York  as  compared  with  other  ports 
at  home  and  abroad. 

"While  the  port  of  New  York  has  tremendous- 
ly increased  its  exports  and  imports  during  the 
last  two  years,  it  by  no  means  owes  its  world  su- 
premacy to  war  business.  Even  though  the  Eu- 
ropean War  had  never  occurred,  shipping  men  and 
close  students  of  international  commerce  say.  New 
York  would  have  continued  to  surpass  London, 
Liverpool  and  Hamburg.  Although  the  war  has 
added  greatly  to  the  value  and  volume  of  New 
York's  exports,  it  has  not  materially  helped  its 
position  as  the  greatest  American  seaport  since  the 
percentage  of  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  country 
held  by  the  port  has  varied  little  within  the  past 
several  years." 

Gateway  to  the  world's  greatest  nation  and 
rapidly  gaining  precedence  in  all  the  elements  of 
municipal  progress.  New  York  has  attained  es- 
pecial pre-eminence  in  importing  and  exporting  ac- 
tivities. 


AKKvLLL  &  DOLGLA.S,  . 

The  present  firm  of  Arkell  &  Douglas,  Inc.. 
are  the  successors  of  the  export  firm  established  by 
James  Arkell  over  sixty  years  ago.  The  business 
received  considerable  impetus  due  to  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  Australia,  the  firm  chartering  several 
sailing  vessels  and  fitting  them  up  for  passengers, 
and  loading  for  Melbourne.  Several  hundred  min- 
ers were  taken  out.  They  carried  with  them  vari- 
ous classes  of  American  goods,  especially  shovels, 
picks,  axes,  etc.,  and  introduced  these  articles  in 
the  Colonies.  The  business  has  grown  steadily 
until  to-day  the  firm  are  dealing  with  practically 
all  the  far-away  countries  of  the  world.  They 
have  their  own  offices  at  Buenos  Aires,  and  Rio 
de  Janeiro.  South  America;  Melbourne  and  Syd- 
ney, Australia ;  Port  Elizabeth  and  Johannesburg, 
South  Africa;  London,  England;  Manila,  Phil- 
ippine Islands;  Shanghai,  China;  and  Montreal, 
Canada.  Agencies  have  been  established  by  them 
at  Lima,  Peru,  and  Sao  Paulo,  Brazil,  Hong 
Kong,  Bombay,  Calcutta  and  Karachi,  Singapore, 
New  Zealand,  Cape  Town,  Kingston. 

They  not  only  export  American  goods  but 
also  handle  large  shipments  from  England  to 
foreign  markets,  and  do  a  heavy  exchange  trade 
between  their  different  offices  abroad,  and  are 
heavy  importers  and  receivers  of  goods  on  con- 
signment from  various  markets.  At  one  time  the 
firm  chartered  large  numbers  of  vessels  yearly, 
freighting  a  large  portion  of  their  own  shipments, 
but  in  recent  years  owing  to  trade  routes  being  es- 
tablished by  regular  lines  to  most  world  ports 
they  have  no  longer  found  this  branch  of  the  busi- 
ness desirable  or  profitable,  and  their  shipments  are 
now  mostly  confined  to  the  regular  liners. 

The  capital  of  the  firm  is  one  million  dollars, 
but  the  directors  have  in  view  shortly  increasing 
the  capital  to  two  millions  to  two  and  a  half  mil- 
lions. 

The  firm  now  handle  an  export  and  import  busi- 
ness of  twenty  to  twenty-five  millions  of  dollars  per 
annum. 

The  business  was  incorporated  in  1 908  with 
Hon.  Wm.  Harris  Douglas  as  President,  Mr.  L. 
P.  Lawrence,  Secretary,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Mac- 
Bride,  Treasurer,  and  Mr.  Walter  C.  Kelly,  As- 
sistant Secretary. 

The  firm  have  been  instrumental  in  introducing 
abroad  probably  more  lines  of  American  goods 
than  any  other  house  now  in  the  export  business  and 
the  heavy  sale  of  their  products  which  many  manu- 
facturers now  enjoy  is  due  to  the  hard  pioneer 
work  and  efforts  in  exploiting  American  goods. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


251 


FEARON.  BROWN  CO.,  INC. 


The  house  of  Fearon,  Brown  Co.,  Inc.,  is 
one  of  the  oldest  engaged  in  the  Asiatic  trade,  its 
interests  being  practically  the  same  as  have  been 
connected  with  the  concerns  of  similar  name  dur- 
ing, perhaps,  the  past  fifty  years.  The  officers 
are  James  S.  Fearon,  President;  William  S. 
Brown,  Vice-President  and  Treasurer,  and  Henry 
H.  Love,  Secretary  and  Assistant  Treasurer.  Mr. 
Fearon  is  one  of  the  few  hving  men  who  has  been 
identified  with  the  Oriental  trade  for  over  thirty- 
five  or  forty  years.  He  was  formerly  one  of  the 
Vice-Presidents  of  the  International  Banking  Cor- 
poration. Mr.  Brown  and  Mr.  Love  have  been 
connected  with  the  Fearon  organizations  for  the 
past  twenty  years. 

Fearon,  Brown  Company,  Inc.,  deal  in  all 
manner  and  kinds  of  Asiatic  products,  principally 
from  China,  which  includes  such  articles  as  sheep- 
wool,  camels'  hair,  goats'  hair,  China  cotton, 
albumin,  egg  yolk,  human  hair,  waste  silk,  spun 
silk  yarns,  beans,  oils,  medicinal  roots,  hides,  skins, 
straw  braids  and  a  variety  of  other  products.  The 
exports  to  the  Far  East  include  machinery,  hard- 
ware, cotton  goods,  electrical  supplies,  paints, 
varnishes  and  the  multitude  of  articles  classed  as 
sundries. 

The  New  York  business  is  under  the  direction 
of  the  Secretary,  while  Mr.  Brown,  Vice-Presi- 
dent, attends  to  the  company's  business  in  Europe. 
Mr.  Fearon,  the  President,  is  actively  engaged  in 
the  China  end,  being  officially  located  at  Tientsin, 
where  he  also  acts  as  President  of  the  American 
Chamber  of  Commerce  at  that  port. 

The  Fearon  organizations  constitute  one  of  the 
very  oldest  foreign  enterprises  in  the  China  field 
and  it  might  be  said  without  fear  of  contradiction 
that  it  is  the  oldest  established  American  House 
in  China. 

In  the  China  end,  Fearon,  Brown  Co.,  Inc.,  are 
represented  by  and  closely  allied  with  the  corpora- 
tion known  under  the  title  of  Fearon.  Daniel  & 
Co.,  Inc.,  which  is  a  New  Jersey  corporation;  the 
officers  of  that  company  are  the  same  as  above 
noted.    The  company  maintains  offices  at  Shang- 


hai, Tientsin,  Peking,  Harbin  and  Hankow,  with, 
of  course,  the  usual  agency  connections  throughout 
the  Republic.  Fearon,  Daniel  &  Co.,  Inc., 
besides  doing  business  with  and  through  Fearon, 
Brown  Co.,  Inc.,  New  York,  have  very  important 
business  connections  with  concerns  at  the  Pacific 
Coast,  as  well  as  doing  an  important  business  with 
Europe,  Australia  and  India. 

The  affairs  both  here  and  in  China  have  under- 
gone a  thorough  reorganization  during  the  past 
three  years  and  with  the  infusion  of  younger  blood 
bringing  to  the  front  the  natural  increase  in  energy 
and  go-ahead  spirit,  coupled  with  the  change  in 
policy  and  the  added  financial  resources,  has  made 
itself  felt  in  the  way  of  a  largely  increased  busi- 
ness and  scope  of  operations. 

Since  reorganization  both  the  China  and  New 
York  companies  have  done  a  most  satisfactory 
business  and  the  house  has  great  faith  in  the  early 
future  of  the  Chinese  market  for  American  mate- 
rials and  capital.  It  is  confidently  expected  that 
American  manufacturers  and  exporters  and  those 
otherwise  interested  in  China  have  now  a  golden 
opportunity,  which  may  never  come  again,  to  get 
a  firm  foothold  in  the  China  field  and  especially 
so  as  at  the  present  time  the  well-known  terrific 
German  competition  is  now  practically  eliminated 
on  account  of  the  European  War  and  China's 
severance  of  diplomatic  relations  with  the  Ger- 
man Government. 

Fearon,  Brown  Co.,  Inc.,  and  Fearon,  Daniel 
&  Co.,  Inc.,  have  reorganized  and  prepared  for 
just  this  purpose  and  it  is  their  aim  and  object 
to  foster  and  prosecute  American  interests,  especially 
as  applying  to  the  import  and  export  trade  between 
the  two  countries.  Of  course,  in  order  to  reach 
this  stage,  as  far  as  the  exports  from  America  are 
concerned,  it  is  absolutely  essential  that  the 
unqualified  support  of  American  manufacturers 
should  be  given  toward  that  end.  Without  this 
it  will  be  found  impossible,  and  especially  so  after 
the  war  in  Europe  has  ended,  for  American  manu- 
facturers to  compete  for  the  Chinese  trade  against 
the  European  exporters. 


252 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


253 


M.  A.  HERNANDEZ 

JOHNSEN  &  K.1LDAL,  INCORPORATED 


M.  A.  Hernandez,  formerly  engaged,  on  his 
own  account,  in  the  importing  and  exporting  busi- 
ness from  and  to  the  Latin-American  countries,  is 
now  General  Manager  for  Johnsen  &  Kildal,  Inc., 
a  branch  company  of  one  of  the  most  successful 
commercial  houses  m  Christiania,  Norway.  Mr. 
Hernandez  formerly  occupied  offices  at  115 
Broadway  and  subsequently  removed  to  26  Cort- 
landt  Street.  In  November,  1916,  he  merged  his 
business  with  that  of  Johnsen  &  Kildal,  Inc., 
and  an  American  branch  was  organized  as  John- 
sen  &  Kildal,  Inc.,  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  New  ^  ork.  Mr.  Hernandez  became  Secretary, 
Treasurer  and  General  Manager  of  the  newly 
formed  company  and  his  offices  at  26  Cortlandt 
Street  were  retained  by  the  corporation,  which 
imports  and  exports  on  its  own  account  and  on  a 
commission  basis,  also  actmg  as  ship  brokers.  The 
house  handles  consignments  of  fish  products  and 
wood  pulp  from  the  Scandinavian  countries  and 
imports  from  Mexico,  Cuba,  Spain,  Argentina. 
Uruguay,  Venezuela,  Central  America  and  Brazil, 
all  products  peculiar  to  those  countries.  The  ex- 
ports consist  of  chemicals,  machinery,  tools  and 
every  article  of  American  manufacture  that  has  a 
foreign  sale.  It  also  specializes  in  food  products, 
such  as  dried  fruits,  tea,  flour,  rice,  cocoa  beans, 
etc.,  etc. 

The  company  of  Johnsen  &  Kildal,  Inc.,  of 
Christiania,  is  also  engaged  in  the  same  line.  The 
American  firm  is  now  opening  up  a  new  branch 
of  the  business  in  which  it  will  act  as  ship  brokers 
and  chartering  agents  for  tonnage  to  and  from 
Latin-American  countries,  in  addition  to  the  busi- 
ness already  established  with  Norway.  Mr. 
Hernandez,  who  is  in  full  charge  of  the  Ameri- 
can house,  is  particularly  fitted  for  the  posi- 
tion. He  graduated  from  the  Massachusetts  In- 
stitute of  Technology  as  a  Civil  Engineer  and  had 
previously  been  a  student  at  the  Mexican  Military 
Academy  and  at  an  institution  in  California.  He 


was  born  in  Mexico,  where  his  family  figured 
prominently  in  military,  political  and  civic  affairs. 
His  father,  Juan  A.  Hernandez,  has  been  in  the 
Mexican  army  for  over  fifty  years,  twenty-eight 
of  which  he  served  as  a  General.  He  was  at  one 
time  Governor  of  Pueblo,  one  of  the  richest  and 
most  largely  populated  states  of  Mexico.  The 
godfather  of  Mr.  M.  A.  Hernandez  was  ex-Presi- 
dent Diaz  and  one  of  his  sisters  married  a  son  of 
ex-President  Victoriano  Huerta.  These  connec- 
tions gave  Mr.  Hernandez  entry  into  the  most  ex- 
clusive society  of  the  Latin-American  countries  and 
served  as  a  powerful  aid  to  him  in  his  business  af- 
filiations. He  has  travelled  extensively  in  Mexico, 
Cuba,  Brazil,  Argentina,  Chile,  Spain  and  France. 
He  speaks  several  languages  and,  being  a  techni- 
cal man  with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  export  and 
import  conditions,  together  with  ripe  experience  and 
important  connections  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  unquestionably  enables  him  to  successfully 
conduct  Johnsen  &  Kildal's  affairs  in  this  country. 
The  house  of  Johnsen  &  Kildal,  Inc.,  although 
practically  unknown  in  the  United  States,  is  one  of 
the  most  highly  respected  and  enterprising  firms  of 
the  Scandinavian  countries  engaged  in  the  same 
line  of  trade.  It  has  been  established  in  Norway 
for  several  years  and  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most 
important  concerns  there,  having  a  high  rating  in 
the  maritime  world.  J.  Walter  Johnsen,  senior 
member  of  the  parent  firm  and  President  of  John- 
sen  &  Kildal,  Inc.,  of  New  York,  makes  frequent 
trips  to  this  country  and  gives  his  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  affairs  of  the  two  concerns.  Birger 
Kildal,  junior  member  of  the  Scandinavian 
firm  and  Vice-President  of  the  New  York 
ccnripany,  looks  after  the  Norwegian  end  of  the 
business  and  makes  his  headquarters  in  Christiania. 
Both  members  of  the  firm  have  been  thoroughly 
trained  in  maritime  affairs  and  foreign  trade  and 
to  this  knowledge  and  the  business  energy  of  the 
individual  members  is  due  the  success  of  the  house. 


254 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


HENRY  W.  PEABODY  &  CO. 


The  Late  Henry  W.  Peabody 


As  a  rule  Ameiican  firms  are  not  noted  foi 
their  longevity,  but  tlie  house  of  Henry  W.  Pea- 
body  &  Co.,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  in 
the  exporting  and  importing  line  in  the  United 
States,  is  an  exception.  It  was  organized  in  1867 
by  the  late  Henry  W.  Peabody  and  has  just 
rounded  out  a  half  century  of  success,  during 
vvhich  period  its  ramifications  have  been  extended 
to  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  The  present  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  are  Charles  D.  Barry,  Frederic  W. 
Lincoln  and  John  R.  Bradlee,  all  of  whom,  like 
the  founder,  are  of  old  New  England  ancestry  and 
have  been  associated  with  the  house  for  periods 
ranging  from  twenty-five  to  forty  years.  The  firm 
of  Henry  W.  Peabody  &  Co.  export  all  lines  of 
.American    manufacture   and   import   the  various 


products  of  South  and  Central  America,  Japan, 
China  and  the  Orient.  It  buys  and  sells  any- 
thing anywhere  in  the  world.  The  main  office  is 
at  I  7  State  Street,  New  York  City,  and  branch 
offices  are  maintained  in  Boston,  Mass. ;  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal. ;  Sydney,  Australia;  Melbourne,  Aus- 
tralia; Wellington,  New  Zealand;  Cape  Town, 
South  Africa;  Manila,  Philippine  Islands;  Buenoi 
Aires,  Argentine  Republic,  and  an  auxiliary  house, 
that  of  Henry  W.  Peabody  &  Co.,  of  London, 
England,  with  offices  in  both  London  and  Liver- 
pool. 

Some  idea  of  the  extent  of  the  company's  busi- 
ness can  be  gathered  by  the  personnel  of  the  New 
York  City  office,  where  a  clerical  force  of  atout 
100  is  required  in  the  several  departments. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


255 


f 

E.  F.  DREW  &  CO.,  INC. 


Although  one  of  the  younger  houses  in  the  im- 
porting and  exporting  field,  E.  F.  Drew  &  Co., 
Inc.,  has  become  one  of  the  most  important  in  the 
line.  Since  the  establishment  of  the  business  the 
firm  has,  by  sound  methods  and  energetic  efforts, 
secured  a  large  clientele  among  the  leading  manu- 
facturers and  producers  of  the  country.  E.  F. 
Drew  &  Co.,  Inc.,  was  origmally  organized  in 
Boston  in  1 905  and  was  subsequently  incorpora- 
ted under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 
The  business  succeeded  from  the  beginning  and 
Mr.  Drew,  to  whom  the  firm's  establishment  was 
due,  concluded  that  more  rapid  expansion  was 
possible  in  a  large  seaport.  He  accordingly  trans- 
ferred the  executive  offices  to  New  York  City  in 
1913  and  the  firm  was  soon  invading  the  field 
here.  The  capital  of  the  Massachusetts  company 
was  small  and,  realizing  that  large  growth  re- 
quired additional  operating  funds,  Mr.  Drew  or- 
ganized a  new  company  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Delaware,  with  a  capital  of  $350,000. 
He  became  President  of  the  new  concern,  which 
retained  the  old  title,  and  at  once  began  a  per- 
sistent movement  to  increase  the  business.  His  ef- 
forts along  this  line  were  highly  gratifying  and 
successful  and  resulted  in  the  organization  of  sev- 
eral subsidiary  companies  and  the  establishment 
of  other  ramifications  which  brought  the  house  in 
close  touch  with  the  various  business  marts  of  the 
world.  As  a  result,  trade  is  now  carried  on  with 
the  countries  of  Europe.  Japan,  India,  Australia, 
New  Zealand  and  South  America.     Every  prod- 


uct of  these  far-away  lands  is  numbered  among 
the  imports,  while  the  exports  include  machinery 
and  all  other  articles  of  American  manufacture, 
it  being  Mr.  Drew's  intention  of  conducting  a 
thoroughly  reciprocal  trade  in  every  quarter  in 
which  the  house  does  business.  The  subsidiary 
interests  of  E.  F.  Drew  &  Co.,  Inc.,  are  many 
and  varied  and  include  the  A.  B.  Burleson 
Company  of  Jewett  City,  Connecticut,  a  concern 
controlling  textile  mills  for  the  manufacture  of 
cotton  fabrics;  the  Anglo-India  Produce  Company 
of  Philadelphia,  manufacturers  of  chemicals  and 
refiners  of  oils;  MacMillen  &  Holland  of  Rio 
Janeiro,  who  are  dealers  in  the  many  products 
of  that  country;  Drew,  Roca  &  Co.,  of  Barran- 
quilla,  Colombia,  South  America,  who  handle 
drugs,  chemicals  and  oils,  and  the  Lodge-Evans 
New  York  Corporation,  a  company  that  owns 
patents  for  processes  of  dyeing  of  wool  and  silk 
and  combinations  of  wool,  silk  and  cotton,  with 
sulphur  colors.  The  process  is  the  only  one  ex- 
isting using  this  method  of  dyeing  this  character 
of  goods. 

E.  F.  Drew  &  Co.,  Inc.,  are  located  at  50 
Broad  Street,  from  which  the  affairs  of  the  firm's 
many  interests  are  directed.  Offices  are  also 
maintained  in  Boston  and  Philadelphia.  A  large 
carps  of  clerks  and  stenographers  is  employed  and 
Mr.  Drew,  to  \vhose  application  and  executive 
ability  the  success  of  the  house  is  largely  due, 
keeps  in  close  touch  with  the  markets  of  the 
world  and  the  affairs  of  the  subsidiary  companies. 


256 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


PACIFIC  DEVELOPMENT  CORPORATION 


i  hat  the  United  States  will  enjoy  unprece- 
dented prosperity  after  peace  is  restored  in  Europe 
is  indicated  by  the  action  of  far-seeing  financiers 
who  are  taking  steps  to  meet  the  large  demand  for 
American  products  that  they  feel  must  come  from 
the  devastated  nations.  The  war  has  radically 
changed  the  commercial  map  of  the  world  in 
other  ways  than  by  devastation.  In  the  Far  East 
and  China,  Germany  had  first  call  with  her  goods 
and  the  American  manufacturer  found  the  prod- 
ucts of  that  nation  so  firmly  entrenched  and  the 
competition  so  keen  that  it  hardly  paid  our  manu- 
facturers to  place  goads  in  these  localities. 
These  conditions  are  now  materially  changed. 
Germany  has  antagonized  nearly  the  entire  world 
and  the  buyer  in  the  Far  East  and  commercial 
China  will  naturally  turn  to  the  United  States  as 
the  most  available  producer  of  machinery  and 
other  manufactures  which  have  previously  been 
purchased  from  Germany.  This  is  the  opinion  of 
many  well-known  financiers  who  are  backing  their 
belief  in  a  substantial  manner.  In  this  connection 
one  of  the  most  important  developments  having  in 
view  the  building  up  of  the  foreign  trade  of  this 
country  is  the  organization  of  the  Pacific  Develop- 
ment Corporation.  This  is  not  a  new  organization 
but  present  conditions  have  given  it  a  new  impetus 
and  determination  to  secure  and  hold  the  trade 
in  the  territory  in  which  it  will  operate.  The 
Pacific  Development  Corporation  was  organized 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York  with 
an  authorized  capital  of  $5,000,000.  Of  this 
stock  $1,000,000  has  been  subscribed  in  cash  at 
par  to  provide  working  capital  for  the  company 
and  provision  has  been  made  to  issue  stock  of  the 
new  company  in  exchange  for  the  stock  of  the 
Pacific  Commercial  Co.,  the  largest  American 
commercial  company  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  and 
Andersen,  Meyer  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  one  of  the  lead- 
ing commercial  houses  in  China. 

The  board  of  directors  of  the  new  company  con- 
sists of  Galen  L.  Stone  of  Hayden,  Stone  &  Co., 
as  Chairman  of  the  Board,  Guy  W.  Currier  of 
Currier,  Young  &  Pillsbury  of  Boston,  William 
Endicott  of  Kidder,  Peabody  &  Co.,  H.  H. 
Fleishhacker,  President  of  the  Anglo-London 
and  Paris  National  Bank  of  San  Francisco. 
Francis  R.  Hart,  Vice-President  of  the  Old 
Colony  Trust  Co.  of  Boston,  M.  F.  Loewenstein, 
President  of  the  Pacific  Commercial  Co.,  V. 
Meyer,  President  of  Andersen,  Meyer  &  Co., 
Ltd.,  Andrew  W.  Preston,  President  of  United 
Fruit  Co.,  Chester  P.  Siems  of  Siems  &  Carey, 
Wallace  D.  Simmons,  President  of  the  Simmons 


Mardware  Co.  of  St.  Louis,  Willard  Strait, 
Royall  Victor  of  Sullivan  &  Cromwell,  Herbert 
H.  White  of  the  University  Press,  Cambridge,  and 
Edward  B.  Bruce,  President  of  the  new  company. 

The  organization  of  the  Pacific  Development 
Corporation  is  the  logical  development  of  eighteen 
years  of  work  in  building  an  American  trading 
business  in  the  Orient.  The  company  had  its 
beginning  in  the  organization  in  1 899  of  the 
California  corporation  of  Castle  Bros.,  Wolf  & 
Sons,  which  undertook  a  general  commercial  busi- 
ness in  the  Philippine  Islands.  From  a  small 
beginning  this  business  grew  to  be  the  largest 
American  commercial  house  in  the  Philippines.  In 
the  fall  of  1911,  M.  F.  Loewenstein.  President 
and  owner  of  Castle  Bros.,  Wolf  &  Sons,  in  asso- 
ciation with  a  group  of  well-known  Boston  people, 
organized  the  Pacific  Commercial  Co.,  which  took 
over  the  business  of  Castle  Bros.,  Wolf  &  Sons. 
Since  that  date  the  business  of  the  Pacific  Com- 
mercial Co.  under  Mr.  Loewenstein's  direction  has 
been  largely  extended  and  has  shown  very  sub- 
stantial profits. 

In  the  f^pring  of  1915  the  group  of  people 
interested  in  the  Pacific  Commercial  Co.  organ- 
ized Andersen,  Meyer  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  which  took 
over  the  business  which  V.  Meyer  of  Shanghai 
had  built  up  and  carried  on  under  the  name  of 
Andersen,  Meyer  &  Co.  This  business  was 
originally  started  in  1907  and  has  gained  an 
enviable  reputation  for  itself  as  the  representative 
in  China  of  a  leading  group  of  American  manu- 
facturers of  machinery,  including  the  General 
Electric  Co.,  the  Pressed  Steel  Car  Co.,  Baldwin 
Locomotive  Co.  and  some  thirty  other  well-known 
American  producers. 

The  commercial  activities  of  the  new  company 
will  be  carried  on  through  the  Pacific  Com- 
mercial Co.  and  Andersen,  Meyer  &  Co.,  Ltd. 
No  changes  will  be  made  in  the  organization  of 
these  companies — Mr.  Loewenstein  continuing  as 
President  of  the  'Pacific  Commercial  Co.,  and  Mr. 
Meyer  as  President  of  Andersen,  Meyer  & 
Co.,  Ltd.  The  Pacific  Commercial  Co.  main- 
tains offices  at  Manila,  Cebu,  Ibilo,  Zamboanga, 
Tacloban,  Legaspi  and  Vigan  in  the  Philippine 
Islands;  at  Kobe,  Japan,  Sydney,  Australia,  and 
at  New  York,  San  Francisco  and  Seattle.  Ander- 
sen, Meyer  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  maintains  offices  at 
Shanghai,  Hongkong,  Tientsin,  Peking,  Hankow, 
Changsha,  Kalgan,  Mukden  and  Vladivostok. 

In  addition  to  carrying  on  through  these  com- 
panies the  existing  commercial  business,  the  new 
corporation  plans  to  enter  into  various  industrial 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


257 


enterprises,  which  experience  has  shown  can  best 
be  conducted  through  an  organization  such  as  the 
Development  Corporation  rather  than  through  a 
commercial  enterprise. 

It  is  the  belief  that  the  Pacific  Development 
Corporation  has  a  bright  future,  as  the  success  of 
any  enterprise  of  this  sort  must  depend  primarily 
upon  the  organization  which  it  is  able  to  build  up 
in  foreign  countries.  The  company  has  been  built 
up  over  a  period  of  1 8  years  of  strenuous  and 
successful  effort  so  that  the  period  of  experiment 
is  behind  it.  The  Development  Corporation  will 
begin  with  net  assets  in  excess  of  the  par  value 
of  its  stock  and  with  earnings  which  will  enable 
the  company  to  pay  substantial  dividends  upon  the 
capital  stack  from  the  start,  as  well  as  to  provide 
3  satisfactory  surplus  for  the  requirements  of  its 
growing  business. 

The  operation  of  companies  of  this  character 
in  the  foreign  field  means  a  systematic  invasion  of 
the  territory  and  the  holding  of  the  trade  secured. 
It  does  not  mean  a  short  period  of  prosperity  for 
the  American  manufacturer  and  the  subsequent  loss 
of  his  field  of  operation,  but  it  insures  a  permanent 
and  lasting  success,  for  the  Pacific  Development 
Corporation,  officered  by  the  most  experienced  men 
in  the  territory  to  be  invaded,  have  determined  "to 
have  and  to  hold"  the  trade  there. 


CHILDS  &  JOSEPH 
The  importing  and  exporting  business  of  Child? 
&  Joseph,  60  Wall  Street,  which  was  established 
in  1  906  with  two  branches,  has  expanded  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  firm  now  conducts  twelve 
branches  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  all  oper- 
ated under  the  firm  name.  These  are  in  Aden, 
Arabia;  Mombasa  and  Nairoba,  British  East 
Africa;  Kampala,  Uganda,  Africa;  Zanzibar, 
East  Coast  Africa;  Bukoba,  Daressalaam,  Kis- 
umu,  Muanza  and  Tanga,  East  Africa;  and  Tan- 
anarive, Madagascar.  The  members  of  the  firm 
are  Harris  R.  Childs,  who  was  formerly  Vice- 
Consul  to  Zanzibar,  and  Hugo  S.  Joseph,  both  of 
whom  have  had  long  experience  in  the  business. 
Every  product  of  the  countries  where  branches  are 
conducted  is  imported  by  the  firm  and  the  exports 
consist  of  every  known  article  manufactured  here. 
The  business  has  grown  enormously  since  its  es- 
tablishment and  this  growth  has  been  more  marked 
since  the  European  war  started.  The  trade  terri- 
tory covered  embraces  the  entire  United  States 
and  Canada,  while  a  considerable  volume  of  busi- 
ness is  also  done  with  England.  The  firm  also 
acts  as  agents  for  some  of  the  largest  manufac- 
turers in  this  country. 


FREDERICK  H.  CONE 

Frederick  H.  Cone,  who  has  in  the  short  period 
of  thirteen  years  attained  a  commanding  position 
in  the  exporting  and  importing  field,  was  born  in 
New  York  City  in  1876  and  was  educated  in 
the  schools  here  and  at  Columbia  University. 
Upon  the  completion  of  his  education  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  a  firm  in  a  kindred  line  for  twenty- 
one  years  and  in  I  903  established  his  present  busi- 
ness, which  has  expanded  from  a  modest  beginning 
to  a  trade  that  covers  nearly  the  entire  world. 
The  house  makes  a  specialty  of  broom  and  brush 
material,  importing  bristles,  hairs  and  fibres  from 
Russia,  China,  Turkey  and  Austria.  Cocoanut, 
olive  and  other  oils,  products  of  the  East  Indies, 


figure  largely  in  the  imf>ort  trade.  The  imports 
include  light  and  heavy  chemicals  of  domestic 
manufacture.  The  entire  building  at  181  Front 
Street  is  used  for  executive  and  stock-carrying  pur- 
poses and  Mr.  Cone  is  one  of  the  few  merchants 
in  his  line  to  use  a  large  warehouse  and  carry 
stock  for  immediate  delivery.  Mr.  Cone  was 
married  in  1908  to  Ethel  Woolverton  of  New 
York  City.  He  is  a  Director  of  the  Iron  Steam- 
boat Co.,  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  Edgewater 
Basin  Co.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  the  Automobile  Club  of  America,  the 
Aero  Club  of  America,  the  Orchard  Lake  Club, 
the  Rubber  Club  of  America,  the  Merchants'  As- 
sociation, the  Orchard  Lake  Club  and  the  Apawa- 
mis  Golf  Club  of  Rye,  New  York. 


258 


NEIV    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


Michael  Golodetz 


Presidri.t   c:    the  Bengol  Trading:  Company,   Inc.,   and   in  Charge 
of  the   American   End   of   tlie  Business. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


259 


BENGOL  TRADING  COMPANY,  INC. 


The  Bengol  Trading  Company,  which  main- 
tains offices  at  1  70  Broadway,  is  engaged  in 
an  active  campaign  in  European  and  Asiatic 
Russia  in  order  to  bring  the  merits  of  Ameri- 
can made  goods  to  the  attention  of  the  con- 
sumers in  those  far-away  districts.  The  company 
also  has  offices  in  London,  Petrograd  and  Mos- 
cow and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  conditions 
in  the  territory  in  which  it  is  working  leads  the 
officers  to  predict  remarkable  growth  for  this 
country's  exports.  The  Bengol  Trading  Company 
was  incorporated  January  1,  1917,  by  Messrs. 
Golodetz  Brothers  Trading  Co.  and  a  prominent 
Russian-English  banking  institution  with  a  capital 
stock  of  $300,000,  half  of  which  is  controlled 
by  Messrs.  M.  &  B.  Golodetz,  who  owned  the 
Golodetz  Brothers  Trading  Company,  and  the 
other  half  by  this  Russian  and  English  Bank. 
Messrs.  Golodetz  Brothers  Trading  Company 
were  actively  engaged  in  commerce  between  Eng- 
land and  France,  Russia  and  Germany  for  about 
twelve  years  before  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and 
because  of  this  experience  are  considered  authority 
on  international  trade.  Of  course,  the  office  which 
was  maintained  in  Hamburg  was  discontinued  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  war. 

The  Bengol  Trading  Company  has  lately  con- 
cluded exclusive  agency  arrangements  with  several 
of  the  largest  and  most  prominent  manufacturers 
of  agricultural  and  industrial  equipment  in  this 
country  to  represent  them  exclusively  in  the  sale 
of  their  products  in  Russia.  Among  these  con- 
cerns are  the  Thomas  Manufacturing  Co.  of  Spring- 
field. Ohio,  Hart  Grain  Weigher  Company  of 
Peoria,  111.,  R.  R.  Howell  Co.,  of  Minneapolis. 
The  Bengol  Trading  Company  at  present  has 
two  of  its  representatives  in  Japan  and  further- 
more has  its  own  agents  in  France,  Spain  and  Italy 
and  agents  appointed  throughout  Cuba  and  Mexico 
from  which  its  representative  has  just  lately  re- 
turned after  an  extensive  trip. 

The  connection  of  the  Bengol  Trading  Company 


with  the  banking  institution  and  its  subsequent 
financial  strength,  the  experience  and  ability  of  its 
officers  and  staffs,  the  company's  connections  with 
various  trades  and  industries  in  this  country  and 
also  in  European  and  South  American  connections 
which  will  enable  it  to  develop  business  between 
those  countries  and  Russia,  will  assure  the  Bengol 
Trading  Company  of  a  prominent  part  in  Russia's 
post-bellum  commercial  affairs. 

When  it  is  considered  that  Russia  has  a  pop- 
ulation of  180,000,000  and  that  thousands  of 
miles  of  her  territory  are  ripe  for  development,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  mineral  wealth  that  is  practically 
untouched,  some  idea  can  be  had  of  the  possibilities 
in  opening  up  this  wide  field.  Germany  has  pre- 
viously monopolized  Russian  foreign  trade  to  the 
disadvantage  of  the  Russian  people  but  the  Euro- 
pean war  has  changed  conditions  there  and  with 
the  return  of  peace  Russia  will  naturally  turn  her 
business  to  an  ally  rather  than  an  enemy  nation. 
The  revolution  in  that  country  has  also  had  a 
tendency  to  improve  the  prospects  of  the  American 
manufacturer.  It  was  not  merely  political.  It 
was  a  general  strike  against  old  conditions,  which 
means  the  introduction  of  modern  tools,  machin- 
ery and  methods  in  every  department  of  Russian 
effort. 

The  President  of  the  company  is  M.  Golodetz, 
who  is  in  charge  of  the  American  business  of  the 
company.  He  is  considered  an  authority  on  inter- 
national trade  and  is  in  a  position  to  advise  manu- 
facturers as  to  the  best  way  to  reach  the  purchas- 
ing centers  of  Russia  and  the  Far  East.  Much 
of  the  Bengol  Trading  Company's  export  business 
is  for  the  account  of  the  Russian  Government  and 
it  is  therefore  in  close  touch  with  affairs  there. 
The  company's  representatives  make  frequent  trips 
Uj  Siberia,  Asiatic  Russia  and  the  Far  Eastern 
countries  gathering  full  information  as  to  the  needs 
of  the  people  and  by  this  means  no  mistake  is  made 
as  to  the  character  of  the  goods  it  will  pay  the 
best  to  exploit  there. 


260 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


FREDERIC  HENJES,  JR. 


Frederic  Henjes,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Brooklyn, 
April  7,  1877,  and  it  is  a  matter  of  pride  with 
him  that  he  spent  his  entire  life  in  a  district  which 
produced  many  men  that  have  become  notable 
in  New  York's  financial  and  commercial  affairs. 
Mr.  Henjes  was  educated  in  the  public  and  high 
schools  of  Brooklyn  and  when  only  fifteen  years 
of  age  entered  the  employ  of  Passavant  &  Co. 
One  year  later  he  became  office  boy  for  the  well- 
known  firm  of  Oelrichs  &  Co.,  and  during  twenty 
years  with  this  firm  filled  many  positions  in  the 
steamship  and  importing  departments,  being  ad- 
vanced, as  he  grew  familiar  with  the  details  of  the 
business,  until  there  came  a  time  when  he  took  the 
initiative  and  laid  before  his  employers  plans  for 
the  formation  of  a  forwarding  department,  which 
would  also  include  custom  house  brokerage,  ware- 
housing and  a  commission  business.  His  plans  met 
with  the  approval  of  Oelrichs  &  Co.  and  he  was 
authorized  to  put  them  into  effect.  This  was  in 
1907,  and  after  the  building  at  31  Water  Street 
was  secured  the  new  department  was  launched  with 
Mr.  Henjes  in  full  charge.  Shortly  after  the 
breaking  out  of  the  European  War,  Oelrichs  & 
Co.,  who  were  agents  for  the  North  German 
Lloyd,  decided  to  retire  from  the  steamship  and 
forwarding  business  and  devote  their  entire  time  to 
the  importation  of  wool,  hides,  cocoa  and 
coffee.    In  keeping  with  this  decision,  Mr.  Henjes 


became  sole  proprietor  of  the  business  at  31  Water 
Street,  which  had  grown  to  large  proportions  under 
his  able  management.  As  a  commission  merchant 
Mr.  Henjes  buys  American  products  for  shipment 
to  foreign  countries  and  as  forwarding  agent, 
custom-house  broker  and  warehouseman,  acts  for 
some  of  the  leading  manufacturers  of  the  United 
States  and  Europe.  He  employs  a  large  clerical 
staff  and  having  a  high  rating  for  strict  business 
integrity  finds  no  difficulty  in  steadily  increasing 
his  already  large  business.  During  the  time  Mr. 
Henjes  was  in  charge  of  the  business  for  Oelrichs 
&  Co.  and  since  succeeding  that  firm  he  made 
many  trips  to  the  commercial  and  manufacturing 
centers  of  Europe  and  the  United  States  and 
formed  connections  which  he  still  retains.  He 
employs  no  solicitors,  the  reputation  of  his  house 
bringing  the  business  to  him  unsought.  Mr. 
Henjes  is  the  son  of  Frederic  and  Henrietta 
(Koster)  Henjes  and  comes  of  an  ancestry  that 
dates  back  to  the  time  of  Richard  Cour  de  Lion. 
He  was  married  in  1905  to  Anne  Helen  O'Brien, 
the  union  bringing  three  daughters.  Mr.  Henjes 
is  fond  of  outdoor  sports  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Crescent  Athletic  Club,  the  Traffic  Club  of  New 
York  and  the  Merchants'  Association.  Mr.  Henjes 
resides  at  292  East  I  7th  Street,  Brooklyn,  and 
still  occupies  the  building  31  Water  Street, 
formerly  used  by  Oelrichs  &  Co. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


261 


GEORGE  GRAVENHORST 


The  importing  and  exporting  firm  of  Graven- 
horst  &  Co.,  90  Wall  Street,  owes  its  origin  to 
George  Gravenhorst,  senior  partner  of  the  present 
house,  who  was  formerly  associated  with  F.  El- 
menhorst,  in  the  same  line  of  business,  since  1874. 
The  firm  assumed  its  present  title  in  1 908  when 
Fred  W.  Gravenhorst,  a  son  of  the  senior  mem- 
ber, became  associated  with  the  business.  George 
Gravenhorst  was  born  in  Germany  in  1 843  and 
came  to  New  York  in  1864,  his  entire  business 
career  having  been  spent  in  the  same  line  of  busi- 
ness, gaining  an  experience  that  has  been  a  strong 
factor  in  the  extension  of  the  business.  Fred  W. 
Gravenhorst,  the  junior  partner,  was  born  in 
Brooklyn,  in  1877,  and  like  his  father  has  a 
ccfmplete  knowledge  of  the  trade.  With  this  ex- 
perienced guidance  the  firm's  business  has  in- 
creased from  year  to  year  until  it  is  recognized 
as  one  of   the   leadmg   importing'    and  exporting 


houses  in  New  York  City,  employing  a  clerical 
force  of  twenty  and  having  a  thorough  equipment 
to  handle  the  largest  and  most  important  trade. 
Its  ramifications  extend  over  the  entire  world  and 
the  goods  exported  consist  of  general  merchandise, 
anything  of  American  origin  or  manufacture. 
The  imported  goods  include  sugar  from  the  West 
Indies,  coffee,  hides,  skins  and  tanning  materials 
from  South  America,  and  a  specialty  is  also  made 
of  crude  rubber,  both  South  American  and  Plan- 
tation, while  Mexico  and  South  America  also 
yield  beans,  which  figure  largely  among  the  firm's 
staple  imports.  The  products  are  sold  largely  in 
New  York  through  the  various  importers  who  spe- 
cialize in  these  commodities.  TTie  success  of 
Gravenhorst  &  Co.  is  not  entirely  due  to  business 
knowledge.  Its  recognized  integrity  and  absolute 
fairness  in  all  transactions  have  helped  materially 
in  the  progress  of  the  house. 


262 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


W.  TYRIE  STEVENS 


W.  Tyrie  Stevens,  Importer  and  Exporter,  with 
offices  at  5  State  Street,  was  born  December  I  I , 
1867,  in  Dunnville,  Ontario.  Canada,  where  he 
was  educated.  He  came  to  New  York  City  in 
January,  1889,  and  established  a  business  of  his 
own  here  six  years  later.  Previously  he  visited  the 
West  Indies  and  South  America,  gathering 
material  to  be  used  in  the  compilation  of  Wright's 
Trade  Directory  and  made  several  voyages  around 
the  world  in.  the  interest  of  American  manufac- 
turing. 

Mr.  Stevens'  principal  line  of  endeavor  is 
exportmg  and  he  has  for  ten  years  paid  much 
attention  to  the  South  African  trade.  His  exports 
include  lubricating  oils,  leather,  brass,  fire  arms, 
the  product  of  the  Stevens  Arms  Company,  and 
prepared  wool  and  fur  for  hats.     He  also  exports 


ail  American  products  and  manufactures  for 
clients  abroad.  His  imports  include  wool,  hides 
and  skins  from  the  Argentine.  Mr.  Stevens  has 
clients  in  every  trade  center  in  the  world  and 
maintains  offices  in  Montevideo,  Buenos  Aires  and 
Sao  Paulo,  Brazil.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Pan-American  Society, 
India  House,  Whitehall  Club,  was  President  of 
the  Circumnavigators'  Club  for  two  years  and 
is  now  First  Vice-President  of  the  Canadian  Club 
of  New  York.  Mr.  Stevens  has  been  married 
twice;  in  1898  to  Marie  Claire  Perkins,  who 
gave  him  one  son,  Robert  T.  Stevens,  born  1905. 
and  in  1915  to  Anne  Gaillard  O'Bryan  of  South 
Carolina  by  whom  he  has  one  son,  Walter  Tyrie. 
Jr.,  born  January,  1917.  He  resides  at  420 
Riverside  Drive. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


263 


OTTO  ISENSTEIN  &  CO. 


Albert  M.  Hersch 


Otto  Isenstein 


The  corporation  of  Otto  Isenstein  &  Co., 
formed  in  1907,  has  aheady  taken  its  place  as 
one  of  the  leading  importing  and  exporting  houses 
of  the  country.  The  officers  of  the  company  are; 
Otto  Isenstein,  President;  Richard  Sidenberg, 
Vice-President,  and  Albert  M.  Hersch,  Treas- 
urer. The  active  members  are  Mr.  Isenstein  and 
Mr.  Hersch,  who  started  the  business  with  offices 
at  90  Wall  Street  and  salesrooms  and  ware- 
houses on  the  west  side  of  the  city.  The  business 
had  grown  to  such  an  extent  by  May  1,  1916, 
that  the  offices  and  salesrooms  were  combined  in 
the  building  No.  1  0  Hubert  Street,  near  Hudson 
Street,  and  the  warehouses  in  various  parts  of  the 
city  were  continued.  The  firm  are  importers  of 
raw  products  from  the  Far  East,  Africa  and  Aus- 
tralia and  specialize  in  gums  for  varnish,  paint 
and  similar  trades,  mother-of-pearl  shells  and  cop- 
rah.  They  also  represent  various  firms  in  China, 
India,  Singapore  and  the  Dutch  East  Indies,  for 


whom  they  sell,  to  importers  here,  rubber,  gutta 
percha,  hides,  spices  and  drugs.  They  export 
American  products  and  manufactures  to  the  houses 
from  which  they  import.  The  building  at  No.  I  0 
Hubert  Street,  where  the  firm  has  handsomely 
fitted  up  executive  offices  on  the  second  floor,  is 
a  five-story  structure,  the  balance  being  used  for 
exhibiting  sample  cases  of  the  firm's  imported  prod- 
ucts. Their  trade  territory  covers  the  entire 
United  States  and  Canada  and  a  branch  is  main- 
tained at  311  California  Street,  San  Francisco, 
California,  to  more  expeditiously  handle  their 
trans-Pacific  shipments.  They  also  have  exclu- 
sive connections  throughout  the  Far  East,  Africa 
and  Australia.  Both  Mr.  Isenstein  and  Mr. 
Hersch  are  active  and  energetic  in  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business  which  has  grown  steadily 
since  the  firm's  formation  and  increased  very 
largely  during  the  last  three  years,  despite  the  dis- 
turbed conditions  of  the  world's  commerce. 


264 


NEW    YORK  -OLD    AND  NEW 


ANTONIO  ZUCCA 


One  of  the  leading  factors  in  the  Itahan  trade 
of  New  York  is  Antonio  Zucca,  who  has,  while 
engaged  in  building  up  a  large  business  in  foreign 
products,  devoted  much  time  to  the  political,  finan- 
cial and  benevolent  interests  of  his  adopted  city. 
Mr.  Zucca  was  born  in  Trieste.  He  was 
educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  from 
which  he  received  a  sound  commercial  training, 
and,  after  spending  considerable  time  in  Northern 
Italy,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869.  He 
at  once  established  the  house  of  Zucca  &  Co., 
and  began  the  importation  of  Italian  products 
for  the  American  market.  Mr.  Zucca's  strong 
personality  and  energy,  coupled  with  his  reputa- 
tion of  handling  the  highest  grade  goods  only, 
assured  the  success  of  the  new  venture  and  the 
business  has  increaised  steadily  since  its  inception. 
Attracted  by  Mr.  Zucca's  growing  trade,  other 
merchants  entered  the  same  field  and  the  commerce 
between  the  two  countries  grew  to  large  propor- 


tions— a  result  that  is  unquestionably  due  to  Mr. 
Zucca's  early  efforts.  After  acquiring  citizenship 
in  New  York  City,  Mr.  Zucca  organized  the 
Italian  Political  Association,  a  body  of  natural- 
ized citizens  that  wielded  considerable  power.  He 
was  a  School  Trustee  for  several  terms,  was 
elected  Coroner  in  the  Borough  of  Manhattan,  and 
afterwards  became  President  of  the  Board  of  As- 
sessors of  New  York  City.  His  interest  in  Italy's 
development,  his  efforts  to  promote  and  increase 
trade  between  that  country  and  the  United  States 
and  his  care  of  and  aid  to  Italian  subjects  resid- 
ing in  New  York  City,  led  to  his  being  three 
times  decorated  by  the  King  of  Italy.  Mr. 
Zucca  is  a  member  of  Tammany  Hall  and  hai 
served  as  President  of  the  Italian  Chamber  of 
Commerce  and  the  Italian  branch  of  the  Inter- 
national Peace  Society.  He  is  a  director  of  the 
Italian  Savings  Bank  and  the  Italian  Benevolent 
Society.  His  business  address  is  25  West  Broadway. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


265 


DANTE  ANTOLINI 
Dante  Antolini,  proprietor  of  the  firm  of  D. 
Antolini  &  Co.,  of  45  Broadway.  New  York 
City,  was  born  in  Florence,  Italy.  March  20. 
1879.  He  was  educated  in  the  city  of  his  birth 
and,  upon  coming  to  this  country  as  a  young  man, 
became  associated  with  the  importing  and  exporting 
business.  Connection  with  several  leading  firms 
in  this  line  brought  Mr.  A.ntolini  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  the  trade  and  he  started  in  business  for 


himself  in  1 906  under  the  present  name.  The 
firm  does  an  extensive  business  with  Central  and 
South  America,  Spain,  Italy.  France  and  Eng- 
land, importing  the  products  of  these  countries 
and  exporting  to  the  same  localities  all  goods  of 
American  manufacture,  and  has  branches  in 
Buenos  Aires,  Valparaiso,  Para,  Rio  Janeiro, 
Florence  (Italy),  and  a  dozen  other  foreign  trade 
centers,  with  correspondence  in  every  quarter  of 
the  civilized  globe. 


H.  MARQUARDT  &  CO.,  INC. 

The  house  of  H.  Marquardt  &  Co.,  Inc.,  one 
of  the  oldest  and  most  successful  in  the  importing 
and  exporting  line,  was  founded  by  the  late  H. 
Marquardt  in  1864.  Despite  the  depression  at 
that  period  on  account  of  the  Civil  War,  the  firm 
was  successful  and  its  business  grew  steadily.  Mr. 
Marquardt  died  in  the  eighties  and  the  business 
was  afterward  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  New  York,  with  Hans  Triest,  Sr.,  as 
President.  The  business  of  H.  Marquardt  &  Co.. 
Inc.,  is  conducted  on  a  commission  basis  and  the 
exports  handled  include  every  known  product  from 
Mexico,  Central  and  South  America,  Europe,  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  French  colonies  in  Africa. 
These  goods  are  sold  all  over  the  United  States 
and  Canada.  All  character  of  goods  and 
machinery  manufactured  in  the  various  factories  of 
this  country  are  numbered  among  the  exports  and 
H.  Marquardt  &  Co.,  Inc.,  have  made  American 
products  knorwn  in  nearly  every  section  of  the 
civilized  world.  The  firm  has  commodious  offices 
at  35  South  William  Street  and  a  large  clerical 
force,  which  is  necessary  in  the  conduct  of  the 
vast  business.  It  also  has  connections  and  corre- 
spondents in  the  various  trade  centers  abroad. 


CLAUDIO  VIDAL 
Claudio  Vidal,  exporting  and  importing  mer- 
chant, was  born  in  Spain,  where  he  was  educated. 
He  spent  three  years  in  England  as  representative 
of  his  father's  firm  and  upon  his  return  to  his 
native  country,  established  his  present  business  in 
Barcelona.  The  year  of  1914  was  spent  in 
Buenos  Aires,  where  Mr.  Vidal  gained  a  wide  and 
comprehensive  knowledge  of  South  America's  prod- 
ucts and  needs.  In  Spain  he  acted  as  agent  for 
several  foreign  firms  but  the  outbreak  of  the 
European  War  made  it  impossible  for  him  to  get 
shipments  from  foreign  firms  and  he  came  to  New 
York  in  1915  in  order  to  avoid  this  obstacle. 
Mr.  Vidal  retained  the  Barcelona  business  as  a 
branch,  and  he  has  representatives  in  all  the  lead- 
ing cities  of  Spain  and  a  part  of  South  America, 
where  the  majority  of  his  goods  are  bought  and 
sold.  He  handles  all  raw  materials,  automobiles, 
commercial  and  pharmaceutical  chemicals,  dye- 
stuffs,  etc.,  and,  having  excellent  business  connec- 
tions in  Spain,  is  enabled  to  handle  American  and 
foreign  products  to  the  best  possible  advantage. 
His  New  York  offices  are  at  23  and  25  Beaver 
Street. 


266 


NEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


CHARLES  H.  DEM  ARES  1 
Charles  H.  Demarest,  one  of  the  city's  younger 
merchants  who  has  made  a  success  of  the  impor- 
tation of  China  and  East  India  goods,  acts  as 
agent  for  Henderson  &  Co.,  of  Colombo,  Ceylon, 
in  the  sale  of  spices,  etc.,  and  for  the  Iwai  Com- 
pany of  Kobe  and  Yokohama,  Japan,  in  the  im- 
portation of  menthol,  camphor,  etc.  Mr.  Dem- 
arest, who  is  also  a  large  importer  of  rattan,  states 
that  the  European  war  seriously  affected  that 
commodity  and  eventually  changed  the  place  of 
purchase  from  Germany  to  Singapore  and  China. 
Before  August  I,  1914,  this  article  had  been 
largely  shipped  from  Singapore  to  Germany,  where 
it  was  manufactured  into  chair  cane  and  reeds 
and  distributed  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Very 
large  quantities  of  this  manufactured   reed  were 


reed,  which  had  always  been  imported  to  thi« 
market  to  a  limited  extent.  A  large  business  re- 
sulted but  this  has  been  curtailed  somewhat  be- 
cause qualities  produced  in  China  have  not  been 
good.  Recently  qualities  have  improved  and  the 
prospects  are  fair  for  a  continual  business  in  China 
reed.  It  might  be  well  to  consider,  however,  that 
several  of  the  largest  furniture  manufacturers  have 
installed  reed-making  plants  and  arc  buying  raw 
rattan  in  Singapore,  and  quite  likely  will  never  go 
back  to  purchasing  either  the  China  reed  or  the 
German  reed,  particularly  when  the  rattan  can  be 
obtained  freely.  At  present,  however,  there  is  a 
large  immediate  demand  for  reeds  of  good  quality 
because  of  the  delay  in  receiving  supplies  of  both 
rattan  and  reed.  Mr.  Demarest's  offices  are  at 
150  Water  Street. 


sold  in  America  in  competition  with  the  seven 
American  manufacturers  of  reed.  At  the  time  of 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  great  uncertainty  as  to 
future  supplies  prevailed  among  the  users  of  reed 
and  to  meet  this  situation  they  turned  to  China 


T.  F.  WILMOT  &  CO. 
The  business  of  T.  F.  Wilmot  &  Co.,  Freight 
Brokers  and  General  Forwarders,  has  expanded 
greatly  since  its  organization  in  1908,  At  that 
time  the  firm  found  that  a  single  office  and  one 
clerk  was  sufficient  to  meet  all  demands,  while 
now  a  large  suite  of  offices  is  used  at  24  State 
Street  and  a  score  of  typewriters  and  clerks  are 
necessary  to  transact  the  large  volume  of  business. 
The  firm  is  composed  of  Thomas  F.  Wilmot  and 
Philip  Thiel,  both  native  New  Yorkers,  with 
long  experience  in  the  line.  Before  the  organ- 
ization of  the  present  firm,  Mr.  Wilmot  was  for 
several  years  connected  with  the  Mexican  Central 
Railroad  and  had  charge  of  the  New  York 
exports  to  Mexican  cities,  while  Mr.  Thiel  was 
connected  with  the  firm  of  Holder,  Weir  &  Boyd, 
in  the  steamship  business.  The  firm  now  handles, 
as  brokers  and  forwarders,  exports  to  all  points 
in  the  world  and  in  addition  conducts  a  marine 
insurance  business.  The  trade  was  originally  con- 
fined to  Mexico,  but  the  internal  troubles  in  that 
country  greatly  reduced  the  export  trade  and 
attention  was  turned  to  European  and  Asiatic 
points.  The  business  has  increased  wonderfully 
since  the  outbreak  of  the  European  war. 


CHAPTER  SIXTEEN 


Chemical  Manufactures 


New  York  City  as  a  Central  Market  and  Producing  Point  for  Drugs,  Chem- 
icals, Paints  and  Dyes. 


IT  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  staple  line  of 
trade  in  which  New  York  is  not  the  chief  market 
of  the  United  States.  There  is  no  line  among 
them  in  which  the  leadership  of  the  metropolis  is 
more  emphatic  than  in  that  which  has  to  do  with 
the  production  and  handling  of  goods  in  the  drug 
and  chemical  line,  under  which  general  head  the 
trade  in  paints,  pigments,  varnishes,  dyes  and  dye- 
stuffs  may  be  with  propriety  included. 

Drug  staples  in  the  early  days  were  imported 
from  the  Netherlands  or  England  and  sold  by 
general  merchandise  stares  handhng  general  stocks. 
The  list  of  drugs  was  not  large  and  medicine  and 
surgery  were  at  a  primitive  stage,  of  which  a  few 
drugs  generously  administered  in  large  doses  were 
the  principal  therapeutic  feature,  supplemented  by 
a  free  and  not  too  discriminatmg  use  of  the  lancet 
and  leeches  for  bleeding  the  patient. 

But  after  Colonial  days  the  medical  profession 
moved  to  a  higher  plane.  The  practitioners  in  the 
city  included  men  of  deep  learning  and  much  skill 
who  not  only  knew  what  their  preceptors  and 
schools  had  taught  them  but  were  themselves  en- 
listed in  the  great  work  of  medical  progress  and 
improvement  which  has  been  going  on  ever  since. 

Step  by  step  with  this  progressive  development 
has  been  the  advance  of  American  pharmacy 
which  has  not  only  added  constantly  to  the  re- 
sources of  the  officinal  Pharmacopaeia  but  has  im- 
proved the  whole  list  by  strict  attention  to  the  re- 
quirements of  uniform  strength,  standardization  and 
careful  and  elegant  packing  of  pharmaceutical 
preparations. 

The  imparting  and  wholesale  handling  of  crude 
drugs  is  a  business  of  which  New  York  is  one  of 
the  world's  most  active  market  centers.  This 
business  includes  among  its  representatives  business 
firms  that  have  been  identified  with  it  for  several 
generations,  the  Schieffelins  (established  1794), 
Tarrants,  Hegemans,   Rikers  and  other's  teing 


well  known  and  familiar  instances.  It  is  a  busi- 
ness the  ramifications  of  which  extend  to  sources 
of  supply  which  cover  the  habitable  globe.  The 
purchase  and  assembling  of  these,  their  milling 
and  preparation  in  forms  suitable  for  the  prescrip- 
tion table  and  their  manufacture  into  officinal  phar- 
maceuticals or  preparatory  articles  are  activities  all 
well  and  extensively  represented  in  New  York, 
the  volume  of  which  has  maintained  a  progressive 
pace  more  than  proportionate  to  the  growth  of  the 
city.  Many  important  establishments  are  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  medical  specialties  and  by 
confining  their  productive  attention  to  a  few  prod- 
ucts, or  in  some  cases  to  a  single  article,  have 
established  their  goods  and  brands  as  representing 
the  highest  standard  of  merit  in  these  particular 
classes  of  products.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find 
any  drug  store  in  this  country  which  does  not  carry 
on  its  shelves  goods  of  New  York  origin. 

The  chemical  industries  of  New  York  cover 
every  line  of  production  coming  under  that  com- 
prehensive head,  chemicals  for  the  use  of  the  va- 
rious industries,  for  sanitation,  for  disinfectant  pur- 
poses, for  bleaching  and  cleaning,  for  tanning, 
cloth  finishing,  for  agricultural  work  and  fertiliza- 
tion, and  for  every  other  purpose.  Many  large 
manufacturers  have  their  offices  and  warehouses 
here  and  their  factories  in  convenient  locations  near 
the  city,  but  others  are  the  New  York  offices  of 
firms  that  conduct  their  industries  elsewhere  but 
maintain  offices  in  New  York  for  sale  and  export 
purposes.  Others  are  the  representatives  of  for- 
eign houses  either  as  direct  agents  or  as  sole  im- 
porters. 

Much  of  the  business  in  the  chemical  line  during 
a  decade  or  two  past  has  been  by  houses  repre- 
senting German  manufacturers,  this  being  a  branch 
of  industry  in  which  Germany  had  forged  ahead 
of  other  countries.  These  houses,  being  cut  off 
from  their  source  of  supply  by   the  war,  soon 


268 


NEW    YORK-  OLD    AND  NEW 


found  their  stocks  depleted.  1  he  shortage  was  so 
great  in  many  lines  after  the  war  had  been  going 
on  for  some  time  that  industries  of  various  kinds 
had  to  shut  down  for  shorter  or  longer  periods. 
This  condition,  however,  had  a  reflex  effect  in 
many  lines,  acting  as  a  spur  to  American  chemists 
to  produce  goods  in  which  there  was  a  shortage 
so  that  American  chemical  works  are  now  pro- 
ducing lines  of  goods  formerly  imported  which 
will  become  staple  in  the  market,  the  production 
of  these  being  now  "naturalized"  and  placed  on 
a  permanent  basis. 

The  dye  industry  is  similarly  situated  in  rela- 
tion to  the  important  connection  with  it  that  German 
manufacturers  formerly  held.  New  York  has  al- 
ways been  the  leading  center  of  the  dye  business 
on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  and  all  of  the  great 
German  factories  were  directly  represented  here 
by  branches,  agents  or  jobbers.  In  Colonial  days 
the  advertisements  of  general  merchandise  stores 
included  items  of  dyestuffs  and  particularly  indigo. 
Later  a  large  business  was  done  with  foreign  coun- 
tries in  the  importation  of  dye  woods  and  other 
dyeing  materials,  vegetable  and  mineral,  and  the 
range  of  dyes  and  mordants  being  very  great 
and  procured  from  many  lands,  the  dyestuff  in- 
dustry formed  a  very  important  branch  of  foreign 
trade.  But  the  discovery  by  W.  H.  Perkins,  an 
English  chemist,  in  1 836,  of  a  method  of  ob- 
taining a  violet  dyestuff  by  oxidizing  impure  aniline 
with  chromic  acid,  for  which  he  took  out  a  patent, 
revolutionized  the  art  of  dyeing,  this  first  invention 
leading  up  to  the  manufacture  of  many  colors 
from  coal  tar.  The  industry  was  first  established 
in  England  and  France,  but  later  Germans  began  to 
develop  the  art  and  finally  had  it  established  upon 
so  strong  a  basis  as  to  practically  enjoy  a  mo- 
nopoly of  it.  They  not  only  created  new  colors  as 
derivatives  of  coal  tar  but  also  many  other  products 
such  as  synthetic  indigo.  German  chemists  soon 
obtained  such  a  mastery  of  the  business  that  many 
of  the  American  textile  industries  were  practically 
dependent  upon  their  products.  The  war,  there- 
fore, curtailed  production  and  controlled  styles  so 
that  certain  colors  for  a  time  were  not  used.  The 
visit    of    the    merchant    submarine  Deutschland 


brought  some  relief  to  the  market.  Meanwhile 
the  chemists  of  America  set  to  work  to  make  dyes 
of  the  class  and  quality  required  to  fill  the  gap  in 
the  market.  Several  factories  of  coal-tar  dyes 
were  established  and  the  situation  has  been  so  much 
improved  that  most  of  the  mills  have  reached  nor- 
mal capacity  while  others  have  never  experienced 
much  trouble  because  their  fabrics  have  not  been 
made  of  colors  dependent  upon  the  German  supply. 
I  he  manufacture  of  colors  by  domestic  concerns 
has  been  so  enlarged  that  it  has  been  predicted  that 
another  year  will  make  it  possible  to  supply  home 
needs  independently  of  all  outside  manufactures  of 
dyes,  either  in  respect  to  variety  or  quantity. 

In  like  manner  there  was  a  great  falling  off  in 
receipts  of  potash  for  which  American  industry  and 
agriculture  had  depended  largely  on  German 
sources,  which  have,  indeed,  furnished  more  than 
half  of  the  world  supply.  The  potash  situation 
has  led  to  the  institution  of  a  home  manufacture  of 
potash,  including  the  extraction  of  potash  from 
the  kelp  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  the  exploitation 
of  other  sources  of  supply  which  are  gradually 
adding  to  the  resources  of  the  market.  New  York 
is  the  supply  center  of  the  industries  of  America  in 
dyes  and  chemicals,  and  especially  of  those  that 
are  used  in  the  textile  trades. 

In  paints  and  varnishes,  together  with  the  oils 
and  materials  that  belong  to  the  painters'  trade. 
New  York  has  long  been  a  market  covering  the 
national  field.  Some  of  the  brands  of  New  York 
manufacturers  have  been  nationally  famous  for  a 
century,  the  business  being  one  in  which  the 
city  has  been  an  active  participant  since  Colonial 
days. 

The  manufacture  of  white  lead  is  one  of  the  old- 
est industries  of  the  country,  having  been  begun  in 
Philadelphia  in  the  early  years  of  that  city.  It 
IS  now  carried  on  in  various  cities,  St.  Louis  being 
one  of  the  most  important  manufacturing  centers 
because  of  its  nearness  to  the  principal  source  of 
lead  supply.  All  the  large  producers  of  paints, 
some  of  the  largest  having  their  factories  in  or  near 
the  city,  find  New  York  their  leading  market  and 
exporting  point,  from  which  a  large  and  increasing 
foreign  demand  is  filled. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


269 


U.  S.  INDUSTRIAL  ALCOHOL  CO. 


With  its  main  office  in  New  York  City,  the 
U.  S.  Industrial  Alcohol  Co.,  a  national  ccmcern, 
may  well  be  classified  as  a  New  York  institution, 
and  its  influence  upon  commerce  may  be  treated  as 
one  of  the  important  factors  of  the  city's  business 
supremacy. 

To  many  minds  the  word  "Alcohol"  is  offen- 
sive; it  spells  drunkenness,  poverty  and  decay. 
They  recall  it  as  a  beverage,  or  at  least  the  basic 
element  of  intoxicants,  and  set  it  aside  as  an  evil 
agency.  But  there  is  another  side,  and  a  far 
pleasanter  one.     Alcohol  is  one  of  the  most  im- 


world  of  an  article  which  is  responsible  for  many 
of  the  comforts  and  enjoyments  of  life,  while  its 
elimination  from  the  field  of  chemistry,  medicine 
and  surgery  would  bring  unspeakable  added  suf- 
fering to  the  human  family,  for  ether,  chloroform 
and  other  anaesthetics,  with  a  long  list  of  the  most 
valued  medicines,  are  possible  only  with  an  alco- 
iiolic  base. 

The  Federal  Government  makes  a  sharp  dis- 
tinction between  the  malevolent  and  the  benevolent 
properties  of  alcohol  by  imposing  a  heavy  tax 
upon  it  m  its  various  potable  forms,  and  by  re- 


portant  commercial  agencies  in  the  business  world, 
and  it  is  that  phase  of  the  product  with  which  this 
great  company  deals. 

There  may  be  ground  for  the  contention  that 
the  manufacture  of  alcohol  as  a  beverage  should 
be  suppressed ;  that  the  world  would  be  better,  hap- 
pier and  richer  if  no  alcohol  were  drunk.  In  that 
contention  this  company  has  no  part.  It  can  well 
be  left  to  the  judgment  and  conscience  of  the  men 
and  women  of  the  land;  but  the  suppression  or 
even  the  undue  taxation  of  the  industrial  commod- 
ity is  quite  another  thing.    That  would  deprive  the 


lieving  It  from  taxation  when,  after  having  been 
rendered  unfit  for  consumption  as  a  beverage,  it  is 
used  in  art,  science,  industry,  medicine  and  surgery. 
What  is  known  a«  "industrial  alcohol"  has  been 
rightly  declared  to  be  "next  to  wafer,  the  most 
valuable  liquid  known,  one  of  the  most  important 
implements  of  our  civilization."  Its  production  for 
use  in  chemical  and  manufacturing  plants  is  under 
the  strictest  governmental  supervision  and  control. 

The  Bureau  of  Internal  Revenue  requires  that, 
in  the  manufacture  of  industrial  alcohol,  there 
shall  be  used  some  substance  for  its  denaturation. 


270 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


some  ingredient  uUerly  repugnant  to  tlie  human 
system,  to  the  taste,  or  to  the  stomach,  such  as 
kerosene  or  wood  alcohol. 

So  treated,  and  relieved  of  the  heavy  govern- 
mental tax  imposed  upon  the  potable  variety,  in- 
dustrial alcohol  enters  into  a  long  and  widely 
varied  list  of  industries,  many  of  which  would  be 
impossible  were  it  not  for  the  governmental  lax 
relief  afforded.  The  list  ranges  from  artificial 
silk  and  artificial  leather  to  varnish  and  smokeless 
powder. 

Alcohol  is  employed  in  the  production  of  disin- 
fectants and  embalming  fluids,  in  the  manufacture 
of  hats  and  soap.  Without  it,  millions  of  people 
would  be  deprived  of  the  fascination  they  now  find 
in  amateur  photography.  It  is  the  basic  raw  ma- 
terial of  ether,  chloroform,  and  iodoform,  as  al- 
ready stated,  and  the  only  possible  solvent  in  the 
composition  of  scores  of  medicinal  and  remedial 
preparations. 

The  distinction  between  industrial  alcohol  and  al- 
cohol for  beverage  purposes  was  officially  and  legal- 
ly recognized  by  the  leading  countries  of  Europe 
during  the  last  half  of  I  9th  century.  Largely  by 
reason  of  practical  laws  and  regulations  affecting 
this  commodity,  Germany  secured  the  mastery  of 
the  chemical  trade  of  the  world.  For  many  years 
the  industries  of  the  United  States  paid  tribute,  in 
millions  of  dollars  annually,  to  that  country.  Ten 
years  ago  somewhat  similar  laws  were  adopted 
here  with  the  result  of  a  rapid  emancipation  and 
an  ever  increasing  freedom  on  the  part  of  Amer- 
ican industries  from  German  domination.  Since 
the  adoption  of  those  laws,  at  the  beginning  of  the 
year  1907,  the  demand  for  the  commodity  has 
risen  from  three  millicm  gallons  in  the  year  1  907  to 
more  than  twenty  million  gallons  today.  This  is 
exclusive  of  the  enormous  quantity  produced  for 
use  in  the  manufacture  of  gunpowder  and  other 
explosives  for  the  European  war. 

In  Europe,  denatured  alcohol  finds  an  extensive 
market  as  a  source  of  heat  and  light.  Thus  far, 
this  country  has  had  no  occasion  for  its  use  for 
those  purposes.  1  hat  requirement  has  been  met 
by  our  vast  supply  of  coal  and  fuel  oils.  But 
the  present  enormous  draft  on  that  source  points 
clearly  to  a  time,  probably  not  far  distant,  when 
our  natural  fuel  resources  will  be  so  diminished,  if 
not  practically  exhausted,  that  some  substitute  will 
be  imperative.  This  substitute  will,  presumably, 
be  less  important  in  the  supply  of  light  and  heat 
than  in  the  supply  of  fuel  for  use  in  automobile 
and  motor  boat  engines.  For  that  purpose,  whether 
by  itself  or  in  combination  with  other  liquids,  alco- 
hol, cheaply  produced,  is  the  one  great  promising 
material.  As  long  as  the  sun  shines  and  the  rain 
falls,  alcohol  can  be  manufactured  from  plant  sub- 
stances in  practically  unlimited  quantity. 


In  the  development  ol  this  industry,  the  iounda- 
tion  of  innumerable  enterprises,  large  and  small, 
the  U.  S.  Industrial  Alcohol  Co.  is  the  leader.  It 
has  spent  and  is  spending  millions  of  dollars  in 
increasing  the  quantity  and  in  improving  the  qual- 
ity of  its  product.  Its  eflorts  are  persistently  di- 
rected toward  a  more  economical  production  of  in- 
dustrial alcohol  as  a  raw  material  indispensable  in 
the  manufacture  of  a  multitude  of  articles  of  daily 
use  and  consumption.  It  operates  extensive  manu- 
facturing plants  in  Boston,  Brooklyn,  Buffalo, 
Baltimore  and  New  Orleans.  1  he  plant  at  Cur- 
tis' Bay,  just  out  of  Baltimore,  is  the  largest  and 
most  complete  of  its  character  in  the  world. 

The  company  owns  and  operates  an  extensive 
fleet  of  vessels  in  the  West  Indies  for  the  collection 
of  molasses,  from  which  its  product  is  derived. 
The  molasses  thus  gathered  would  be  an  otherwise 
wasted  substance;  in  fact  it  is  refuse  from  the  sugar 
mills  of  that  district.  1  he  company  also  owns 
and  operates  a  fleet  of  five  oil  burning  steel  steam- 
ers for  the  transportation  of  its  raw  materials  from 
the  sugar  mills  to  its  plants  in  this  country.  It 
distributes  its  product  throughout  the  United  States 
in  hundreds  of  tank  cars,  and,  directly  and  in- 
directly, affords  most  remunerative  employment  to 
an  army  of  employes. 

It  is  practically  impossible  to  over-estimate  the 
importance  of  industrial  alcohol  in  the  future  of 
American  enterprise.  Upon  its  economical  produc- 
tion, free  from  unnecessary  and  unreasonable  of- 
ficial restrictions,  there  hangs  no  inconsiderable 
part  of  the  commercial  and  industrial  independence 
of  the  country.  1  he  commodity  is  in  no  way 
whatever  involved  in  the  prohibition  movement. 
Industrial  alcohol  and  beverage  alcohol  serve  ab- 
solutely different  purposes.  Any  action  that  may 
be  taken  by  the  Federal  Government  or  by  the 
individual  States  regarding  the  production  or  sale 
of  alcoholic  liquors  used  as  beverages,  should  in 
no  way  be  allowed  to  fall  upon  this  essential  ele- 
ment of  our  commercial  life.  Any  step  tending 
to  suppress  or  even  to  restrict  unduly  the  industrial 
use  of  alcohol  would  only  be  a  step  toward  a  na- 
tional injustice  and  a  commercial  folly.  Industrial 
alcohol  should  not  be  condemned  or  degraded 
from  its  high  estate  because  of  the  drunken  misuse 
of  beverage  alcohol. 

A  great  national  industry  has  been  built  around 
the  manufacture  of  industrial  alcohol.  The  best 
brains  and  energy  of  the  country  are  interested  in 
its  success,  to  say  nothing  of  the  financial  problems 
at  stake.  The  company  above  described  has 
faced  and  conquered  a  new  American  emergency. 
It  is  in  the  hands  of  able  pilots  with  no  men- 
acing clouds  on  the  horizon,  if  the  fair  minded 
public  can  be  made  acquainted  with  the  real  facts 
as  stated  above. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


271 


ISAAC  FRANK  STONE 


The  commonly  accepted  belief  that  the  United 
States  was  entirely  dependent  upon  Germany  for 
colors  has  been  exploded  by  I.  Frank  Stone,  Presi- 
dent of  the  National  Aniline  &  Chemical  Co.,  and 
Vice-President  of  the  Schoellkopf  Aniline  & 
Chemical  Works.  Mr.  Stone,  who  is  an  author- 
ity on  dyes  and  chemicals,  delivered  an  address  be- 
fore the  National  Silk  Convention  in  Paterson. 
choosing  as  his  subject  "The  Manufacture  of 
Aniline  Dyes  in  America ;  the  Progress  Made  and 
the  Promise  of  the  Future."  In  upholding  the 
quality  of  the  home  product.  Mr.  Stone  contended 
it  was  just  as  good  as  the  foreign.  He  showed 
conclusively  that  American  made  colors  are  as 
good  and  as  fast  as  those  made  in  Germany  or  any 
other  foreign  country  and  claimed  that  upon  the 
conclusion  of  the  war  the  bulk  of  the  trade  will 
remain  in  the  hands  of  the  American  manufactur- 
ers. Mr.  Stone  has  spent  his  entire  life  in  the 
chemical  and  dye  business  and  his  complete  knowl- 
edge of  the  trade  makes  his  statement  of  great 
value. 

He  was  born  in  Chicago,  111.,  March  2,  1867, 
the  son  of  Theodore  and  Mary  S.  (Owens) 
Stone.  The  ancestors  were  English,  the  American 
branch  being  established  at  Guilford,  Conn.,  by 
John  Stone,  as  early  as  1 650.  Mr.  Stone  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chicago  and 
when  but  twenty  years  of  age  established  him- 
self in  business  in  the  Western  city.  In  I  890  the 
firm  of  Stone  &  Ware  succeeded  Mr.  Stone,  and 
seven  years  later  the  Stone  &  Ware  Co.  began 


business  in  New  York  City.  This  firm  was  highly 
successful  and  Mr.  Stone's  intense  interest  in 
everything  pertaining  to  dyes  and  the  thorough 
knowledge  gained  by  his  long  experience  led  to 
his  selection,  in  1900,  as  Vice-President  of  the 
Schoellkopf  Aniline  &  Chemical  Works.  In 
1 906  he  was  chosen  head  of  the  National 
Aniline  &  Chemical  Co.,  and  since  that 
period  has  been  a  most  important  factor  in 
the  chemical  trade  of  the  entire  country.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  interests  Mr.  Stone  is  a  Director 
of  the  Importers  &  Traders  National  Bank,  the 
Contact  Process  Co.,  a  member  of  the  Advisory 
Committee  of  the  Metropolitan  Bank  and  Rollin 
Chemical  Co.,  a  member  of  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  the  Board  of  Trade  and  the  Lotos, 
Union  League,  New  York  Athletic  and  City 
clubs.  He  was  President  of  the  Chemists'  Club 
m  1910,  the  Heights  Club  m  1906  and  Vice- 
President  of  the  Drug  &  Chemical  Club  in  1  909. 
Mr.  Stone  was  married  in  Chicago  on  June  5, 
1889,  to  Miss  Mary  Louise  Peck.  They  have 
one  daughter,  Grace  H.,  born  March  12,  1892, 
and  reside  at  Greenwich.  Conn.,  where  their 
home,  "Rock  Ridge,"  is  one  of  the  handsome 
houses  of  that  picturesque  locality. 

The  principal  aniline  and  chemical  companies 
located  in  New  York  City  and  the  immediately 
contiguous  territory  were  recently  amalgamated 
and  are  now  operated  by  the  National  Aniline 
&  Chemical  Company,  Inc.,  which  took  over  the 
National  Aniline  &  Chemical  Co.,  the  Schoellkopf 


272 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


Aniline  &  Chemical  Works.  Inc.,  W.  Beckers 
Arviline  &  Chemical  Works,  Inc.,  the  Benzol 
Products  Company  and  certain  plants  and  prop- 
erties of  the  General  Chemical  Company,  the  Bar- 
rett Company  and  the  Semet-Solvay  Company. 


DR.  WILLIAM  BECKERS 
Dr.  William  Beckers,  founder  of  the  W. 
Beckers  Aniline  &  Chemical  Works,  Inc.,  re- 
ceived his  first  education  in  Germany  and  Belgium, 
and  followed  the  profession  of  his  father,  Gerard 
Beckers,  as  manufacturer  of  chemicals. 

After  spending  seven  years  at  the  Polytechnic 


Institute  at  Aachen,  and  the  universities  of  Frei- 
burg and  Heidelberg,  he  graduated  from  Heidel- 
berg, receiving  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philos- 
ophy. He  then  served  in  the  army,  securing  the 
rank  of  First  Lieutenant.  Acting  as  Assistant 
Professor  of  Chemistry  for  a  few  years.  Dr. 
Beckers  connected  himself  with  one  of  the  largest 
dyestuff  and  chemical  manufacturing  concerns — 
the  Bayer  Company,  in  Elberfeld — and  came  to 
this  country  in  1902  to  take  charge  of  the  tech- 
nical end  of  the  American  branch  of  this  concern. 


In  the  year  1912  Dr.  Beckers  founded  the  W. 
Beckers  Aniline  &  Chemical  Works,  which  con- 
cern, under  the  able  management  of  Dr.  Beckers, 
grew  within  five  years  from  a  comparatively  small 
business,  employing  about  one  hundred  workmen 
and  a  few  chemists  during  1912,  to  the  second 
largest  dyestuff  manufacturing  concern  in  this 
country,  employing  over  sixteen  hundred  men  and 
close  to  one  hundred  chemists  and  engineers.  The 
W.  Beckers  plant,  with  its  forty-two  separate 
buildings,  located  on  a  plot  of  about  sixty  acres 
near  Jamaica  Bay,  is  considered  to  be  a  model 
plant  in  every  respect.  The  welfare  institutions 
in  this  plant  are  numerous  and  prove  that  Dr. 
Beckers,  even  during  the  extremely  rapid  develop- 
ment of  his  concern,  always  had  the  welfare  of 
his  employes  at  heart  and  found  time  to  develop 
these  welfare  institutions  at  the  same  rapid  pace 
at  which  the  manutacturing  end  of  the  business 
grew. 

Dr.  Beckers  was  Chairman  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  and  President  of  the  W.  Beckers  Ani- 
line &  Chemical  Works  up  to  its  consolidation  in 
1917  with  five  others  into  the  National  Aniline 
&  Chemical  Company,  Inc.,  of  which  he  is  now 
Director  and  First  Vice-President.  The  object 
of  this  combination,  which  has  a  capitalization 
of  24  million  dollars,  is  to  insure  the  national  inde- 
pendence of  the  United  States  in  the  coal-tar  prod- 
uct? industry  and  the  aim  of  the  management  is 
to  manufacture  coal-tar  dyes  and  intermediates 
which  can  compete  successfully,  both  in  quality 
and  variety,  with  those  heretofore  imported.  As 
the  constituent  units  of  the  new  company  include 
manufacturers  of  raw  materials,  of  intermediates, 
and  of  coal-tar  dyes,  the  National  Aniline  & 
Chemical  Company,  Inc.,  in  one  organization 
covers  the  industry  from  raw  material  to  finished 
product. 

For  the  last  twelve  years  Dr.  Beckers  has  been 
residing  at  49  Eighth  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  and  has 
been  an  active  member  of  many  prominent  Brook- 
lyn and  New  York  educational  and  charitable 
institutions  and  clubs.  He  is  a  Trustee  of  the 
Polytechnic  Institute  and  generally  very  active  in 
the  development  of  chemical  science  and  industry 
in  the  United  States. 


274 


NEW    YORK-^OLD    AND  NEW 


INNIS,  SPEIDEN  &  CO.,  INC. 


The  house  of  Innis,  Speiden  &  Co.,  which  has 
entered  upon  its  second  century  of  business  activity 
IS  the  outgrowth  of  a  small  business  established  in 
1816.  At  that  time  Nathan  Gifford  began  cut- 
ting dyewoods  m  the  then  small  town  of  Pough- 
keepsie  on  the  Hudson.  He  did  not  possess  the 
necessary  capital  to  msure  the  success  of  his  ven- 
ture and  sought  the  aid  of  Aaron  Innis,  a  success- 
ful merchant.  The  prospects  looked  flattering  to 
the  merchant  and  he  advanced  the  money  to  con- 
duct the  busmess  and  became  a  silent  partner  of 
Gifford.  Howland  R.  Sherman  married  the 
daughter  of  Aaron  Innis  about  I  840  and  he  was 
made  the  active  representative  of  his  father-in-law's 
interest  in  the  dyewood  business,  the  name  of  the 
firm  bemg  changed  to  Gifford  &  Sherman.  Nine 
years  after  Sherman's  advent  into  the  business, 
Gifford's  interest  was  purchased.  Aaron  Innis 
died  about  1  844  and  his  eldest  son  George  aban- 
doned a  college  career  to  become  a  salesman  in 
the  dyewood  business  of  which  his  father's  estate 
held  the  controlling  interest,  the  name  of  the  firm 
being  shortly  afterwards  changed  to  Gifford,  Sher- 
man &  Innis.  In  1858  Howland  R.  Sherman 
died  and  George  Innis  acquired  the  remaining  in- 
terest, becoming  sole  owner  of  the  business  which 
he  conducted  for  twenty-six  years  under  the  old 
firm  name.  In  1  885  the  business  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Hasbrouck  Innis,  only  son  of  George, 
and  his  cousin,  William  R.  Innis,  only  son  of 
Aaron  Innis  second.  The  firm  name  was  then 
changed  from  Gifford,  Sherman  &  Innis  to  Innis 
&  Company,  under  which  style  it  continued  until 
1904  when  the  firm  was  dissolved,  George  V. 
Sheffield  purchasing  the  name  and  good  will  and 
continuing  the  business  as  Innis  &  Company. 
In  January,  1906,  C.  C.  and  M.  Speiden  became 
partners  in  the  business  which  was  incorporated  as 
Innis.  Speiden  &  Co.,  March  3.  1906,  with 
Clement  C.  Speiden,  President,  George  V.  Shef- 
field, Treasurer,  and  Marion  Speiden,  Secretary. 
During  its  century  of  existence  the  house  has  by 
prompt,  efficient  service  and  honest  value  products 
made  phenomenal  progress  in  the  extract,  chemical 
and  color  line.     Its  first  entry  into  New  York's 


commercial  life  was  on  West  Street  between  Bar- 
clay and  Vesey  Streets,  where  desk  room  was 
sufficient  for  its  modest  needs.  From  1850  to 
1858  the  store  and  office  at  27  Barclay  Street 
was  occupied  and  the  following  two  years  the  lo- 
cation of  the  steadily  increasing  business  was  at 
83  Murray  Street.  From  1860  until  1898  the 
location  of  the  firm  was  120  William  Street  and 
the  next  nine  years'  business  w^as  conducted  at  3 
Cedar  Street  and  181  Front  Street  successively, 
when  the  large  building  at  46  and  48  Cliff  Street, 
now  occupied  by  the  company,  was  acquired. 
These  frequent  movements  were  made  necessary  by 
the  need  of  more  room  as  the  methods  the  house 
employed  brought  the  confidence  of  the  trade  and 
an  expansion  of  business  that  now  extends  all  over 
the  country  with  branches  at  84  High  Street, 
Boston;  120  West  Kinzie  Street,  Chicago;  217 
South  Front  Street,  Philadelphia.  There  are  few 
commercial  houses  in  the  United  States  that  can 
boast  of  such  a  long  and  successful  career  and  the 
longevity  of  the  firm  is  the  result  of  a  policy  of 
strict  business  integrity  established  by  the  rugged 
founder  and  adhered  to  by  his  successors  up  to 
the  present  time.  Looking  back,  a  century  seems 
to  be  a  short  period  but  when  crowded  with  the 
events  that  have  occurred  since  the  establishment 
of  the  business  of  Innis,  Speiden  &  Co.,  Inc., 
contemporaneous  with  Perry's  victory  on  Lake 
Erie,  it  seems  incomprehensible  and  awe-inspiring. 

In  1856  the  first  aniline  dyes  were  made  by 
Perkins,  an  Englishman,  and  these  were  more  fully 
developed  in  Germany  during  the  last  generation. 
This  was  followed  by  the  gradual  replacement 
and  supplementing  of  many  of  the  old  natural  dyes 
by  the  development  of  coal  tar  dyes.  During  the 
period  when  many  important  world-events  were 
occurring,  the  house  of  Innis,  Speiden  &  Co.,  Inc.. 
and  its  predecessors  were  building  up  a  strong 
commercial  business  and  an  honorable  reputation 
and  it  must  be  a  source  of  gratification  to  the  mem- 
bers that  they  can  look  back  over  this  changing 
history,  most  of  the  events  of  which  are  forgotten 
while  their  house  is  still  alive  and  steadily  pro- 
gressing. 


NEW    YORK—OLD   AND  NEW 


lib 


THE  ROESSLER  &  HASSLACHER  CHEMICAL  COMPANY 


The  Roessler  &  Hasslacher  Chemical  Company, 
with  its  vast  ramifications,  owes  its  origin  to  the 
modest  efforts  of  Franz  Roessler,  who  came  to  this 
country  in  1882  and  took  up,  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
the    manufacture    of    Liquid    Bright    Gold,  a 


Jacob  Hasslacher 


preparation  for  gold  decoration  on  china,  porcelain 
and  glass. 

In  I  884  Jacob  Hasslacher  joined  him,  they  to- 
gether forming  the  co-partnership  Roessler  &  Hass- 
lacher. the  Deutsche  Gold  &  Silber-Scheide- 
Anstalt,  vormals  Roessler,  in  Frankfurt-on-the- 
Main,  Germany,  being  special  partner. 

In  1 885  they  transferred  to  Perth  Amboy. 
N.  J.,  the  manufacture  of  Liquid  Bright  Gold,  and 
there  began  in  the  manufacture  of  acetone  from 
acetate  of  lime,  and  the  manufacture  of  chloroform 
from  the  acetone. 

In  1 889  Roessler  &  Hasslacher  incorporated 
under  the  name  of  The  Roessler  &  Hasslacher 
Chemical  Company. 

In  1891  the  manufacture  of  ceramic  colors  for 
decorative  china,  porcelain  and  glass  was  added. 


They  also  took  up  the  manufacture  of  oxide  of 
tin  on  a  large  scale  in  order  to  supply  the  new 
industry  of  enameling  works  (stamped  wrought 
iron  goods  for  kitchenware  and  cast  iron  goods 
for  bath  tubs  and  sanitary  ware).  The  company 
then  took  up  the  manufacture  of  cyanide  of  potas- 
sium from  imported  and  domestic  prussiate  of 
potash,  in  the  first  two  years  without  the  addition 
of  sodium,  and  then  with  the  addition  of  sodium, 
according  to  Castner's  Process.  The  first  sodium 
was  imported,  but  when  the  consumption  of 
cyanide  developed  to  a  large  extent  for  mining 
purposes  (extraction  of  gold  by  weak  cyanide 
solution)  the  company  founded,  in  1896,  the 
Niagara  Electro-Chemical  Company,  with  electro- 
lytic works  in  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.,  where  metal- 
lic sodium  and  peroxide  of  sodium  were  manu- 
factured under  patented  processes  of  Hamilton  Y. 
Castner,  an  American  and  graduate  of  Columbia 
University. 

In  I  902  the  company  in  its  Perth  Amboy  works 
took  up  the  synthetic  manufacture  of  cyanide  of 
sodium,  and  in  1 903  formed  the  Perth  Amboy 
Chemical  Works  for  the  manufacture  of  for- 
maldehyde, installing  in  1  906  a  platinum  smelting 
works  which  turns  out  platinum  sheet,  wire,  etc. 

In  the  beginning  of  1910  the  company  formed 
the  Enamel  Company  of  America  for  the  manu- 
facture of  leukonin — an  antimoniate  of  soda — used 
by  enamelers,  and  also  the  Mexican  Roessler  & 
Hasslacher  Chemical  Company  for  the  transaction 
of  their  Mexican  business. 

During  the  last  year  the  company  developed 
its  peroxides  manufacture  to  a  large  extent,  add- 
ing to  the  peroxide  of  sodium  the  peroxides  and 
perborates  of  other  metals,  introducing  by  these 
the  oxygen  bleach  in  mills,  households  and  laun- 
dries. One  article  of  their  manufacture  is  oxone 
(patent  by  Drs.  Foersterling  and  Philipp),  a  fused 
peroxide  of  sodium,  which  delivers  in  the  most 
convenient  manner  pure  oxygen  for  use  in 
laboratories,  for  physicians,  calcium  light  appa- 
ratus, etc.  Another  article  is  "Persil,"  an  oxygen 
washing  compound  for  the  household  and  "Bor- 
ono-O,"  an  oxygen  washing  compound  for  the 
laundry.  During  all  this  time  the  Roessler  & 
Hasslacher  Chemical  Company  did  a  large  busi- 
ness in  alkaloids,  manufactured  by  Dr.  Louis 
Schaefer,  Maywood,  N.  J.,  oxalic  acid,  sal  am- 
moniac, chloride  and  carbonate  of  barium,  arsenic, 
carbonate  and  prussiate  of  potash  and  many  other 
chemicals  for  the  arts. 


276 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


A.  R.  HAEUSER  COMPANY 


New  York  City  is  noted  for  the  large  amount 
of  capital  invested  in  the  manufacture  and  sale  of 
drug  and  chemical  products  within  its  limits  and 
the  territory  immediately  adjacent  and  the  charac- 
ter and  stability  of  the  houses  engaged  therein. 


William  Schongalla 


The  trade  in  these  commodities  is  steadily  grow- 
ing. The  European  War  made  it  almost  im- 
possible to  secure  many  of  the  chemical  products, 
which  it  was  previously  thought  could  be  obtained 
only  abroad.  The  altered  conditions  were  met 
by  the  American  manufacturer  who  succeeded  in 
producing  goods  that  equal,  and  in  many  cases  ex- 
cel, those  of  foreign  make.  The  result  was  a 
big  trade  increase  and  American  products  in  tech- 
nical, chemical  and  other  kindred  lines  have  in- 
vaded fields  abroad  which  they  previously  could  not 
enter.  Among  the  prominent  houses  engaged  in 
the  business  is  that  of  the  A.  R.  Haeuser  Com- 
pany, which  manufactures  and  deals  in  chemicals 
and  their  allied  products.     1  he  business  of  the 


A.  R.  Haeuser  Company  was  first  established 
by  A.  R.  Haeuser  and  subsequently  carried  on  by 
him  for  about  twelve  years,  when  he  was  joined 
by  William  Srhoiigalla,  who  had  been  for  sixteen 
years  associated  with  another  firm  in  the  same  line. 
In  1907  the  business  was  incorporated  under  the 
laws  of  the  State  of  New  York  as  the  A.  R. 
Haeuser  Company,  with  Mr.  Schongalla  as  Presi- 
dent and  Leonard  Hafner,  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer. The  company  makes  a  specialty  of  two 
products  used  extensively  in  the  hat  trade  which 
they  manufacture.  One  of  these  is  Milan  Hemp 
Finish,  a  varnish  invented  by  Mr.  Schongalla,  now 
almost  universally  used  by  manufacturers  of  ladies' 
hats  in  the  United  States  and  Canada  and  rapidly 
attaining  a  reputation  and  sale  among  the  foreign 
trade.  The  other  specialty  is  American  Lac  Sul- 
phur. Owing  to  the  difficulty  experienced  in  get- 
ting foreign  goods  this  product,  which  is  used  in 
bleaching  Panama  hats,  is  now  being  used  by 
manufacturers  everywhere.  There  are  but  one  or 
two  makers  of  Sulphur  Lac  in  this  country  and 
the  A.  R.  Haeuser  Company  controls  the  bulk  of 
the  business.  In  addition  to  these  two  products  the 
company  manufacture  shellac.  Oil  and  French 
varnishes.  Ideal  and  Simplex  Kalsomine  and  lac- 
quers in  all  colors  for  wood,  metal  and  leather. 
The  articles  dealt  in  by  the  house  include  wood 
stains  and  fillers,  glues,  colors,  gums,  glycerine, 
technical  drugs,  chemicals  and  anilines,  lubricating, 
rubbing  and  drying  oils,  paints,  brushes,  sponges, 
chamois  skins  and  manufacturers'  supplies  in  gen- 
eral. Since  the  incorporation  of  the  company  and 
under  its  present  management  the  business  has 
grown  phenomenally  both  on  the  American  conti- 
nent and  in  the  manufacturing  centers  abroad.  The 
warehouse  and  offices  of  the  A.  R.  Haeuser  Com- 
pany are  located  at  I  63  William  Street,  where  a 
large  stock  of  the  firm's  products  is  carried.  The 
house  has  a  high  reputation  for  standard  goods 
and  invariably  fair  treatment  of  its  customers  and 
for  these  reasons  the  trade  has  increased  even  be- 
yond the  expectations  of  those  who  direct  the 
manufacture  and  sales  of  the  products.  Mr. 
Schongalla,  the  President,  has  had  long  experience 
in  the  business  and  he  gives  his  personal  attention 
to  every  detail  that  is  necessary  to  insure  prompt 
delivery,  high  grade  goads  and  uniform  courtesy 
in  the  treatment  of  the  many  customers  of  the 
house. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


277 


E.  FOUGERA  &  CO.,  INC. 


The  house  of  E.  Fougera  &  Co.  was  founded 
in  1849  by  Mr.  Edmund  Fougera,  a  Frenchman 
who  conceived  the  idea  of  opening  an  estabhshment 
where  any  of  the  leading  French  medicines  ana  toi- 
let articles  could  be  purchased.  The  business  quick- 
ly developed  into  that  of  wholesale  importing  from 
France,  and  after  a  time,  from  England,  and  today 
the  concern  imports  and  are  agents  for  nearly 
3,500  French  and  English  proprietary  medicines 
and  ethical  remedies  which  comprise  practically  all 
the  well  known  products  of  this  line  manufactured 
in  France  and  England.  In  1874  Mr.  Ed- 
mund Fougera  sold  the  business  to  Mr.  William 
R.  Woodward,  an  American,  and  Mr.  Victor 
Heydenreich,  a  Frenchman,  born  in  Alsace  con- 
siderably before  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  who 
conducted  the  business  until  the  death  of  Mr. 
Victor  Heydenreich,  in  1879,  shortly  after  which 
his  brother  Mr.  Emile  Heydenreich  entered  the 
firm.  The  next  change  in  the  personnel  of  the  firm 
came  upon  the  death  of  Mr.  William  R.  Wood- 
ward in  1 890,  a  short  time  after  which  his  son, 
Mr.  Edward  S.  Woodward,  entered  the  firm.  In 
1904  the  son  of  Mr.  Emile  Heydenreich,  Mr. 
Louis  V.  Heydenreich,  an  American  of  French 
descent,  became  associated  in  the  business.  Mr. 
Emile  Heydenreich  died  in  March,  I9n,  and 
the  business  was  then  conducted  by  Mr.  Edward 
S.  Woodward  and  Mr.  Louis  V.  Heydenreich,  the 
surviving  partners.  On  January  15,  1912,  Mr. 
Montaigu  M.  Sterling,  who  had  worked  his  way 
from  office  boy  to  member  of  a  Stock  Exchange 
firm,  entered  the  concern  which  very  soon  after,  on 
March  29,  1912,  changed  from  the  form  of  co- 
partnership to  that  of  a  corporation.  The  first 
officers  and  directors  of  the  corporation  were: 
President,  Louis  V.  Heydenreich;  Vice-President, 
Edward  S.  Woodward;  Secretary  and  Treasurer, 
M.  M.  Sterling — who  were  also  directors  with 
Edouard  Foullon,  Rudolph  Wirth  and  Wil- 
liam H.  Ball,  the  three  latter  having  grown  up 
with  the  business  and  were  the  heads  of  their 
respective  departments.  In  October,  1915,  Mr. 
Edward  S.  Woodward  retired  and  in  his  place 


was  elected  Mr.  Charles  M.  Russell,  an  Attorney 
of  No.  50  Church  Street,  New  York. 

The  last  change  to  take  place  in  the  personnel 
ot  the  Fougera  Corporation  came  through  the 
death  of  Mr.  Edouard  Foullon,  who  had  served 
the  concern  for  forty-six  years  in  various  capacities. 

There  has  been  some  confusion  in  the  trade  of 
the  name  of  E.  Fougera  of  Brooklyn  with  that 
of  E.  Fougera  &  Co.,  Inc.  Mr.  E.  Fougera  of 
Brooklyn  is  a  son  of  the  founder  of  E.  Fougera 
&  Co.,  who  manufactures  the  famous  Fougera 
Mustard  Plasters  and  various  Toilet  Articles,  but 
who  has  no  connection  whatever  with  the  business 
of  E.  Fougera  &  Co.,  Inc.,  90  Beekman  St..  New 
York. 

The  drug  trade  will  remember  the  victory  ob- 
tained by  Fougera  in  the  Appellate  Division  which 
sounded  the  death  knell  of  the  ill-fated  "Formula 
Disclosure  Ordinance"  of  Dr.  Goldwater.  which 
was  so  actively  championed  by  his  successor.  Dr. 
Haven  Emerson.  The  Fougera  end  of  this  legal 
battle  was  handled  by  their  Vice-President  and 
Counsel,  Mr.  Charles  M.  Russell,  and  it  has  been 
said  of  Mr.  Russell's  primary  brief  in  this  mat- 
ter that  it  was  the  most  comprehensive  brief  ever 
written  on  the  patent  medicine  question.  In  the 
last  few  years  the  house  of  Fougera  has  been 
very  active  in  protecting  its  rights  and  those  of 
the  drug  trade  in  general,  having  been  always  will- 
ing to  go  to  the  front  on  a  matter  of  principle, 
when  it  was  thought  constitutional  rights  were  being 
threatened. 

Among  the  many  items  which  E.  Fougera  & 
Co.,  Inc.,  has  supplied  to  the  American  market  is 
the  Prat  Dumas  Filtering  Paper,  probably  the 
best  known  Filter  paper  on  the  market.  In  the 
last  few  years  Fougera  has  been  a  very  heavy 
advertiser  to  the  trade  on  its  whole  line,  to  the 
doctors  on  their  ethical  preparations  and  to  the 
public  on  the  proprietary  remedies  which  they  rep- 
resent in  this  country.  In  later  years,  in  order  to 
protect  their  customers  against  counterfeit  and  im- 
position, Fougera  placed  upon  all  the  merchandise 
which  they  imported,  a  blue  guarantee  stamp. 


278 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


KATZENBACH  &  BULLOCK  CO.,  INC. 


Kalzenbach  &  Bullock  Co..  Inc.,  importers,  ex- 
porters, manufacturers  and  dealers  in  chemicals, 
colors  and  pigments,  is  one  of  the  younger  firms 
that  has  shown  extraordinary  growth  in  its  special 
line.  The  business  was  founded  in  1 909  by 
Welling  S.  Katzenbach,  a  son  of  F.  F.  Katzcn- 
bach,  one  of  the  most  prominent  business  men  of 
Trenton.  N.  J.,  widely  known  in  commercial, 
political  and  masonic  circles  throughout  New  Jer- 
sey. In  establishing  the  chemical  business.  Mr. 
Katzenbach  used  desk  room  in  his  father's  office 
and  in  a  most  modest  way  got  in  touch  with  the 
trade.  He  was  persistent  and  energetic  and  soon 
acquired  a  clientele  that  very  shortly  developed  to 
such  an  extent  that  Mr.  Katzenbach  saw  the  ad- 
visability of  incorporating  a  company  that  could 
more  advantageously  handle  the  increasing  trade 
and  also  establish  a  plant  where  many  of  the 
goods  handled  could  be  manufactured.  He  ac- 
cordingly formed  the  firm  of  Katzenbach  &  Bul- 
lock Co.,  Inc.,  under  the  laws  of  New  Jersey,  w'ith 
himself  as  President,  E.  L.  Bullock,  Vice-Presi- 
dent, and  F.  F.  Katzenbach,  Treasurer.  The 
executive  offices  of  the  new  company  were  located 
in  Trenton,  N.  J.,  with  a  selling  office,  of  which 
Mr.  Bullock  had  charge,  in  New  York  City. 
Welling  S.  Katzenbach  died  in  1912  and  the 
corporation  was  reorganized  with  E.  L.  Bullock, 
President.  F.  F.  Katzenbach,  Vice-President  and 
Treasurer,  and  Robert  F.  McGrory,  Secretary. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Katzenbach  was  a  serious  loss 
to  the  company.  He  was  only  twenty-eight  years 
old  at  the  time  of  his  death,  was  a  Princeton 
graduate,  expert  in  chemistry  and  was  noted 
throughout  the  trade  for  his  executive  ability  and 
greatly  esteemed  for  his  genial  personality.  Prior 
to  the  war  Katzenbach  &  Bullock  Co.,  Inc.,  were 
sole  representatives  of  a  number  of  leading  Euro- 
pean chemical  and  color  manufacturers.  They 
specialize  in  materials  for  rubber  and  paint  manu- 
facturers and  since  the  beginning  of  the  war  have 
developed  a  large  export  business  with  England. 
France,  Russia.  South  America  and  other  coun- 


tries. Owing  to  the  shortage  of  whiting  or  Eng- 
lish chalk  and  in  order  to  take  proper  care  of 
their  large  trade  in  this  commodity,  they  incorpo- 
rated the  Gulf  States  Whiting  Company,  of  Mo- 
bile, Alabama,  of  which  H.  J.  Warsap  is  Presi- 
dent, E.  L.  Bullock,  Vice-President,  F.  F.  Kat- 
zenbach.  Treasurer,  and  Aubrey  Boyles,  Secre- 
tary. This  business  is  growing  rapidly  and  is  be- 
coming an  important  factor  as  a  subsidiary  com- 
pany. The  firm  of  Katzenbach  &  Bullock  Co.. 
Inc.,  manufacture  and  handle  a  general  line  of 
chemicals  and  other  products  for  the  rubber,  paint, 
textile  and  allied  trades.  E.  L.  Bullock,  the 
President  of  the  company,  has  had  long  and  varied 
experience  in  the  business  and  is  widely  known 
to  the  trade  throughout  the  world.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  was  connected  with  the  Highland 
plant  of  the  General  Chemical  Company  and  was 
for  a  long  time  purchasing  agent  of  the  Charles  E. 
Sholes  Company.  At  the  time  of  organization  of 
the  company,  of  which  he  is  now  President,  he 
was  connected  with  The  Sholes  Co.,  acting  in  the 
capacity  of  Purchasing  Agent  for  the  Naugatuck 
Chemical  Co.,  Binns  Chemical  Co.  and  George- 
town Chemical  Co. 

Mr.  Bullock  is  a  member  of  Manufacturers' 
Association,  Business  Men's  Association  of  New 
York,  National  Oil,  Paint  &  Varnish  Association, 
Drug  and  Chemical  Club,  Rubber  Association  of 
America,  etc.  The  main  sales  office  of  the  com- 
pany is  located  at  100  William  Street,  New  York, 
executive  offices  at  Trenton,  N.  J.,  with  branch 
offices  at  Boston,  Chicago  and  San  Francisco,  at 
all  of  which  places  warehouse  stock  is  carried  for 
convenience  of  their  large  and  increasing  trade. 
The  works  of  the  company  are  equipped  with 
most  modern  machinery  and  competent  chemists 
are  employed  in  the  laboratories  for  research  work. 
Prompt,  attentive  service,  courteous  treatment,  at- 
tention to  detail  and  high  standard  grade  products 
account  for  the  phenomenal  increase  in  business 
that  has  made  Katzenbach  &  Bullock  Co.,  Inc., 
one  of  the  leading  chemical  houses  of  the  country. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


279 


THURSTON  &  BRAIDICH 


The  importing  firm  of  Thurston  &  Braidich. 
one  of  the  oldest  in  its  line  in  the  city,  was  founded 
in  the  early  I  860's  as  T.  B.  Merrick  &  Co.  Mr. 
Merrick  retired  in  1882  and  the  firm  was  re- 
organized under  its  present  title.  Upon  the  death 
of  Mr.  Thurston  in  1889,  James  G.  Shaw,  who 
had  entered  the  employ  of  the  firm  as  an  office 
boy  in  1872,  was  admitted  to  partnership.  Upon 
Mr.  Braidich's  death  in  1902,  J.  Edward  Young, 
Jr.,  who  was  office  boy  in  1880,  and  Charles  R. 
Rosevear,  a  salesman,  were  taken  into  partnership 


James  G.  Shaw 


and  the  business  was  continued  under  the  old 
name.  Thurston  &  Braidich  has  risen  from  an  un- 
important position  to  leadership  in  its  line  and  the 
high  character  of  the  house  is  a  guarantee  of  the 
character  of  the  goods  handled.  The  firm  now 
occupies  the  entire  five  floors  and  basement  of  the 
new  and  modern  building.  27  Cliff  Street.  The 
executive  offices,  handsomely  appointed,  are  on  the 
fifth  floor  while  the  balance  of  the  structure  is 
used  for  stock.  Thurston  &  Braidich  imports 
vanilla  beans  from  Mexico  and  the  Indian  Ocean 
Islands,  gum  arabic  from   Egypt,   Tonka  beans 


from  Venezuela,  gum  tragacanth  from  Persia 
and  Turkey  and  Karaya  gum  and  nut  galls  frorni 
East    India.     The    trade    territory    includes  the 


J.  Edward  Young,  Jr. 

United  States  and  Canada  and  a  large  force  of 
salesmen  covers  every  purchasing  center  in  these 
two  countries. 


Charles  R.  Rosevear 


280 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


P.  E.  ANDERSON  &  CO.,  INC. 


1  horoughly  cosmopolitan  New  York,  where 
anything  grown  or  manufactured  m  any  part  of  the 
globe  can  be  purchased,  has,  however,  but  one  or 
two  firms  that  make  an  absolute  specialty  of  crude 
drugs.  The  leader  in  this  important  line  is  the 
firm  of  P.  C.  Anderson  &  Co.,  Inc.,  which  suc- 
ceeded to  the  business  of  A.  U.  Andrus  &  Co., 
formerly  located  at  7  and  I  3  Gold  Street.  The 
original  firm  was  organized  in  1889,  by  A.  U. 
Andrus  and  C.  W.  Anderson,  who  is  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  present  corporation.  P.  E.  Anderson 
6».  Co.,  Inc.,  imports  gum  arabic,  senna  and  a  gen- 
eial  line  of  crude  drugs,  which  are  grown  in  every 
part  of  the  world.  P.  E.  Anderson,  President 
of  the  company,  is  a  son  of  the  Vice-Pre'.ident 
and  is  the  active  managing  head  of  the  business.  He 
was  born  in  New  Jersey  and  after  leaving  school 
joined  the  firm  which  his  father  had  helped  to 
establish.  Gaining  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
trade,  he  was  admitted  to  partnership  when  only 
twenty-one  years  of  age  and  has  been  continuously 
in  the  business  since.  C.  W.  Anderson,  the  father, 
who  fills  the  position  of  Vice-President,  is  not  ac- 
tive in  the  company's  affairs,  being  engaged  in  an- 
other line  of  business.  C.  W.  Anderson.  Jr.,  who 
acts  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  could  not  with- 
stand the  call  to  arms.  Five  months  ago  he  en- 
listed as  an  ambulance  driver  and  is  now  doing 
service  "somewhere  in  France."  The  company  is 
capitalized  at  $200,000  and  has  offices  at  99  John 
Street,  with  a  warehouse  in  another  section  of  the 
city.  The  trade  territory  covered  by  the  house  in- 
cludes the  entire  United  States,  the  products  being 
sold  to  pharmaceutical  manufacturers,  patent 
medicine  makers  and  wholesale  drug  jobbers.  Mr. 


Anderson  has  been  in  the  same  line  for  twenty-nine 
years  and  is  particularly  fitted  to  direct  the  business 
which  he  has  organized  along  improved  efficiency 
lines  that  give  the  best  possible  results  to  the  cus- 
tomers of  the  company.  Since  taking  over  the 
business  of  A.  U.  Andrus  &  Co.,  in  1905,  his 
thorough  knowledge  of  every  detail  of  the  trade, 
coupled  with  excellent  service  and  a  policy  of 
strict  integrity,  has  increased  the  output  enormous- 
ly. In  1910  P.  E.  Anderson  &  Co.  made  ar- 
rangements to  lake  over  the  entire  selling  end  of 
the  crude  drug  department  of  the  New  York 
branch  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  and  at  the  same 
time  engaged  several  of  the  well-known  salesmen 
connected  with  the  department.  All  these  men 
are  well  and  favorably  known  to  the  drug  trade 
throughout  the  country  and  have  had  wide  and 
varied  experience  in  the  business  that  has  resulted 
in  large  clienteles.  They  include  George  S.  Mac- 
kay,  formerly  with  Farrand,  Williams  &  Clark, 
Detroit;  Lord,  Owen  &  Co.,  Chicago,  and  after- 
wards with  Parke,  Davis  &  Co.  He  has  charge 
of  the  territory  west  of  Pittsburgh,  a  district  that 
he  has  always  covered  and  one  in  which  many  of  the 
large  concerns  using  the  products  of  the  house  are 
located.  H.  W.  Mitchell  looks  after  the  corpo- 
ration's interests  in  New  York  State,  New  England 
and  Canada,  while  New  York  City,  another  pro- 
lific field,  is  taken  care  of  by  W.  H.  Rethwisch. 
The  personal  assistant  of  Mr.  Anderson  in  the  buy- 
ing and  selling  end  at  the  John  Street  office  is 
F.  A.  Cornelius.  This  coterie  of  active,  energetic 
men  has  been  of  great  assistance  to  Mr.  Ander- 
son in  building  up  the  business  to  its  present  large 
proportions. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


281 


THE  HEYDEN  CHEMICAL  WORKS 


The  Heyden  Chemical  Works,  incorpor  Ued  in 
1900  with  a  large  plant  for  the  manufacture  of 
chemicals,  may  be  considered  pioneers  in  some  of 
the  most  important  lines  of  chemistry.  It  was  the 
first  concern  in  this  country  to  manufacture  sac- 
charine, an  artificial  sweetener  550  times  sweeter 
than  sugar,  and  the  first  to  make  formaldehyde, 
which  is  now  so  extensively  used  on  the  farms  as 
well  as  in  the  industries  and  for  the  disinfection 
of  sick  rooms,  etc.  In  the  manufacture  of  sali- 
cylic acid,  sodium  salicylate  and  salol  the  Heyden 


The  plant  at  Garfield,  New  Jersey,  covers  an  area 
of  about  seven  acres,  closely  studded  with  sub- 
stantial buildmgs  of  fireproof  construction,  which 
are  equipped  with  the  most  modern  machinery,  de- 
signed by  their  own  experts  and  to  a  large  extent 
manufactured  in  their  own  work  shops.  A  large 
staff  of  high  class  chemists  is  constantly  employed 
in  research  work  and  a  corps  of  competent  engi- 
neers is  engaged  in  designing  and  manufacturing 
any  new  machinery  that  is  required  in  special 
processes. 


The  Heyden  Chemical  Works,  Garfield,  N.  J. 


Chemical  Works  lead  the  world  at  the  present 
time.  Besides  these  products  they  have  developed 
in  their  laboratories  a  number  of  new  processes  for 
the  manufacture  of  medicinal  chemicals  which  have 
proven  of  great  value  in  the  treatment  of  a  variety 
of  diseases.  Through  the  manufacture  of  inter- 
mediates used  in  the  coal  tar  color  industry  the 
Heyden  Chemical  Works  have  done  their  share  in 
the  development  of  this  line.  Many  colors  could 
not  be  made  here  were  it  not  for  the  intermediate 
products  supplied  by  the  Heyden  Chemical  Works. 


The  officers  of  the  organization  are:  Ellett  T. 
Hodgskin,  President;  George  Simon,  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Treasurer  and  General  Manager;  Dr.  Robert 
Tischbein,  Secretary.  Mr.  Simon  was  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  organization  and  his  efficient 
work  as  General  Manager  has  developed  the  busi- 
ness from  a  very  small  beginning  to  the  position 
it  now  occupies  as  one  of  the  largest,  most  im- 
portant and  successful  chemical  factories  of  the 
country.  The  New  York  offices  of  the  Heyden 
Chemical  Works  are  at  1 35  William  Street. 


282 


NEW    YORK—(  LD    AND  NEW 


THE  E.  VIRGIL  NEAL  CHEMICAL  WORKS 


Of  special  interest  to  America  and  Americans 
is  the  recent  establishment  of  a  Chemical  Works 
in  Long  Island  City  by  E.  Virgil  Neal,  of  whom 
it  was  said  in  Paris,  "Would  that  we  had  more 
'grands  industrials*  of  so  fine  a  calibre."  Mr. 
Neal's  large  manufacturing  plants  in  both  Paris 
and  London  have  for  the  past  twelve  years  shown 
a  growth  and  expansion  such  as  is  possible  only 
where  there  is  a  man  whose  dominant  personality 
sends  its  powerful  influence  radiating  through  every 
department. 

The  chemical  products  manufactured  by  the 
E.  Virgil  Neal  interests  are  sold  in  practically 
every  country  of  the  civilized  world.  Branch 
offices  and  agencies  are  located  in  most  of  the 
principal  cities  to  aid  in  distribution. 

The  E.  Virgil  Neal  Chemical  Works  at  Long 
Island  City,  which  is  the  latest  plant  to  be  es- 
tablished by  this  organization,  will  be  devoted 
chiefly  to  the  manufacture  of  salicylic  acid  and 
dyestuff  intermediates. 

Like  most  great  captains  of  mdustry,  Mr.  Neal 


has  built  up  around  his  own  creative  genius  an 
able  organization  composed  of  men  whose  train- 
ing and  knowledge  as  well  as  an  unquestioned  loy- 
alty to  their  chief  eminendy  fit  them  for  carrying 
forward  the  business  to  still  greater  successes. 

To  supplement  his  own  personal  knowledge  of 
chemicals,  Mr.  Neal  has  gathered  about  him  for 
this  most  recently  established  factory,  a  corps  of 
experts  whose  experience  ranges  from  the  primary 
elements  of  the  industry  to  its  most  advanced 
stages — men  of  proven  worth,  each  and  every  one 
a  demonstrated  individual  success. 

The  combined  E.  Virgil  Neal  interests  are  now 
doing  a  business  of  many  million  dollars  a  year 
and  in  view  of  the  war  conditions  abroad,  it  is 
only  fair  to  assume  that  the  Long  Island  City 
Works  will  soon  forge  ahead  as  the  leader.  The 
world-wide  use  of  chemical  products  from  the  E. 
Virgil  Neal  factories  has  firmly  placed  the  interna- 
tional stamp  of  quality  upon  everything  bearing  the 
approval  of  this  man  of  monumental  brain  and 
extraordinary  commercial  genius. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


283 


E.  Virgil  Neal 

President,    The  E.   Virgil  Neal   Chemical  Works 


284 


NEIV    YORK~(  LD    AND  NEW 


HERMAN  A.  ME TZ 
Herman  A.  Metz,  President  of  the  Consolidated 
Color  &  Chemical  Co.,  and  the  Farbwerke-Hoechst 
Co.  of  1 22  Hudson  Street,  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  national  and  municipal  politics  and  is 
interested  in  many  industrial  plants.     He  was  born 


in  New  York  City,  October  19,  1867,  and 
studied  chemistry  in  the  evenings  at  Cooper  Institute. 
After  various  positions  with  a  local  concern  he  or- 
ganized the  firm  of  H.  A.  Metz  &  Co.  He  is 
principal  owner  in  many  corporations  manufactur- 
ing pharmaceutical  preparations,  chemicals,  colors, 
carpets  and  rugs.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
School  Board  of  Brooklyn  and  of  the  Board 
of  Education  of  Greater  New  York  and  also  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Board  of  Charities.  He  was 
Comptroller  of  the  city  from  1906  until  1910  and 
a  member  of  the  63rd  Congress.  He  was  also 
a  member  of  the  Charter  Revision  Commission 
and  Commissary  of  the  1 4th  Regiment  N.  G. 
N.  Y.  Mr.  Metz  belongs  to  many  foreign  and 
local  organizations  connected  with  his  trade  and  is 
a  member  of  many  of  the  most  prominent  political 
and  social  clubs. 


BIDTEL  CHEMICAL  WORKS,  INC. 
The  Bidtel  Chemical  Works,  Inc..  whose 
plant  is  in  Jersey  City.  N.  J.,  with  offices  at 
5 1  Front  Street,  New  York  City,  manufacture 
Bidtel's  antisepticum,  chromic  acid  and  other  chem- 
ical specialties.  The  corporation  represents  sev- 
eral large  producers  of  coal  tar  products,  of 
which  they  are  also  manufacturers,  and  these  goods 
are  sold  to  large  chemical  and  dye  manufactur- 


ing firms  and  to  others  that  make  goods  in  which 
coal  tar  figures  as  a  base.  Crude  materials  are 
also  Imported  from  Canada  and  these  are  con- 
verted into  finished  products  by  the  Bidtel  Chemi- 
cal Works,  Inc.  The  house  was  founded  thirty 
years  ago  in  Milwaukee  by  Bidtel  Brothers  and 
was  incorporated  in  1894.  After  removal  to 
New  York  City  the  business  expanded  greatly 
and  the  trade  territory  now  extends  to  every  part 
of  the  world. 

William  Berrell  Alexander,  President  of  the 
company,  entered  its  employ  four  years  ago  as  a 
salesman.  His  energetic  business  methods  result- 
ed in  his  being  called  to  an  executive  position  and 
after  that  his  rise  to  the  Presidency  was  rapid, 
since  which  time  the  concern's  plant  and  sales  de- 
partments have  been  taxed  to  their  capacity. 


HANLON  &  GOODMAN 
Long  years  of  experience  have  made  the  Hanlon 
&  Goodman  Co.  leaders  in  the  manufacture  of 
brushes  for  painters  and  decorators.  The  firm  was 
established  in  1 867  and  in  the  intervening  half 
century  it  has  been  the  earnest  endeavor  of  the 
house  to  improve  the  quality  of  its  output  until 
today  the  Hanlon  &  Goodman  brushes  are  every- 
where accepted  as  standard.  The  trade  is  con- 
stantly growing  more  particular  and  exacting,  for 
the  advantage  gained  by  working  with  good 
brushes  is  better  understood  than  it  used  to  be.  In 
consequence  Hanlon  &  Goodman  brushes  are  made 
of  absolutely  pure  bristles,  the  finest  obtainable, 
and  every  brush  is  warranted  to  give  perfect  satis- 
faction. The  line  of  goods  manufactured  by  the 
Hanlon  &  Goodman  Co.  include  painters'  brushes 
of  all  kinds,  kalsomine  brushes,  smoothing  brushes, 
wall  brushes  for  big  work,  varnish  brushes  and 
brushes  for  flat  graining  or  rubbing  in.  The 
"Rubristo"  brush  made  by  the  firm  is  of  the 
finest  bristles  set  in  rubber  that  is  vulcanized  as 
hard  as  steel.  It  can  be  used  in  anything  that  is 
not  injurious  to  bristles  and  these  will  not  come 
out  whether  the  brush  is  used  in  paint,  varnish, 
shellac,  or  hot  glue,  and  it  can  be  cleaned  with 
turps,  naphtha,  benzine,  alcohol  or  any  fluid  not 
injurious  to  bristles.  It  will  never  dry  out,  and 
the  rubber  setting  will  always  remain  solid  and 
tight.  The  Hanlon  &  Goodman  Co.  is  located 
at  270-272  Pearl  Street. 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


285 


THE  BAKER  CASTOR  OIL  CO. 


The  Baker  Castor  Oil  Co.,  one  of  the  largest 
producers  of  castor  oil  in  this  country,  is  the  out- 
growth of  a  business  started  in  Jersey  City,  N.  J., 
in  1857,  by  a  wholesale  druggist  named  Baker, 
who  was  succeeded  by  Conrad  Brakes  &  Co.  The 
business  was  eventually  incorporated  under  the  pres- 
ent name  and  in  1 905  the  present  company  pur- 
chased the  plant.  The  original  buildings  used  by 
the  founder  in  185  7  are  still  in  use  but  the  ca- 
pacity of  the  plant  has  been  largely  increased  by 
the  present  management,  who  recently  erected  a 
six  story  concrete  building  for  manufacturmg  and 
storage  purposes  and  an  additional  structure  for  the 
extraction  of  oil  from  the  bean  by  solvents,  the 
pressing  process  leaving  about  20  per  cent  of  un- 
extracted  oil,  which  the  company's  improved  proc- 
ess saves  for  commercial  purposes.     The  medical 


IS  cut  off  and  removed  to  what  is  called  a  bean 
floor.  The  heat  of  the  sun  causes  the  burrs  to 
contract  and  the  beans  pop  out,  when  they  are 
winnowed  to  remove  the  hulls  and  other  impurities. 
A  great  amount  of  labor  is  required  in  harvesting 
as  the  spikes  ripen  irregularly  and  must  be  cut  off 
in  proper  condition  else  they  pop  off  the  bush  and 
are  lost.  There  is  a  great  variety  of  beans.  Some 
are  suitable  for  making  fine  oil  while  others  are 
not.  The  Baker  Castor  Oil  Co.,  with  sixty  years 
of  experience,  use  only  the  best  quality  from  the 
world's  markets.  The  beans  after  reaching  the 
factory  are  thoroughly  cleaned  of  all  admixtures 
and  are  assorted  for  the  different  grades  of  oil 
produced.  The  extraction  of  the  oil  is  by  light 
hydraulic  pressure.  The  beans  are  pressed  cold 
and  only  the  first  run  of  the  oil  is  reserved  for 


ESTABLISHED  1857. 


KACTORY  JERSfV  CIT>  N  J 


The  llvKKR  CASiX)K  Oil  Comrvn^- 


also  "/N?  <3"or  Lubricating  Castor  0 1 1 


Office, 120  Broadway 


faculty  considers  castor  oil  one  of  the  most  useful 
and  health-preserving  products  known  and  those 
who  make  a  wry  face  when  taking  it,  will  find 
the  objectionable  features  practically  removed  in 
the  product  of  The  Baker  Castor  Oil  Co.  The 
story  of  castor  beans  and  oil  is  interesting.  The 
beans  are  grown  at  the  present  time  most  largely 
in  India,  but  some  are  raised  in  South  America, 
the  United  States,  China,  Java  and  many  of  the 
tropical  islands  of  the  globe.  The  plant  grows  to 
quite  a  good  sized  bush  containing  a  number  of 
what  are  called  spikes,  which  are  the  fruit  of  the 
bush.  These  spikes  grow  in  lengths  of  from  8  to 
1 5  inches.  They  are  covered  with  burrs  like  a 
chestnut  and  these  contain  the  castor  bean  of 
commerce.     After  the  spike  is  sufficiently  ripe  it 


"Crystal"  and  "A  A,"  thereby  securing  a  virgin 
oil  free  from  albumen,  stearin,  etc.  Oil  produced 
by  the  English  process  is  made  by  double  the  hy- 
draulic pressure  and  while  a  larger  quantity  of  oil 
13  obtained,  it  is  not  the  equal  of  the  oil  secured 
by  light  pressure.  Great  care  is  taken  in  refining 
the  oil  to  a  white  color  and  brilliancy.  The  proc- 
ess is  all  done  by  machinery,  thereby  avoiding  all 
contamination  by  human  hands  from  the  extracting 
press  to  the  barrel  and  can  for  the  consumer.  The 
No.  3  grade  is  the  second  quality  from  the  shells 
after  the  first  pressing.  This  is  secured  after  heat- 
ing, which  causes  the  oil  to  turn  to  a  golden  brawn 
color.  This  grade  of  oil  is  used  only  for  indus- 
trial and  mechanical  purposes  and  is  a  pure  castor 
oil.     Baker's  "Crystal"  and  "A  A"  castor  o'lU 


286 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


are  the  standards  in  the  markets  of  the  United 
States  and  have  been  for  over  half  a  century. 
They  are  always  fresh,  pure  and  sweet;  are  prac- 
tically odorless  and  tasteless  and  excel  in  quality, 
color,  purity  and  brilliancy. 

The  officers  of  The  Baker  Castor  Oil  Co.  are 
F.  C.  Marsh.  President;  F.  A.  Marsh.  Secretary 
and  Treasurer,  and  Kendall  Marsh.  Assistant 
Secretary  and  Assistant  Treasurer.  The  New 
York  offices  are  at  120  Broadway. 


AMERICAN  ALCOHOL  CO..  INC. 
American  Alcohol  Co.,  Inc.,  with  its  distillery 
actively  operated  in  the  manufacture  of  Denatured 


Alcohol  in  all  its  lormulas,  also  alcohol  for  com- 
mercial purposes,  as  well  as  Cologne  Spirits.  Main 
Office.  60  Wall  Street,  New  York  City. 


PACIFIC  COAST  BORAX  CO. 
The  Pacific  Coast  Borax  Co.  was  organized  to 
develop  and  commercialize  the  borate  deposits 
of  the  Pacific  Coast,  discovered  in  1872.  The 
market  price  of  borax  at  that  time  was  thirty- 
two  cents  per  pound,  a  prohibitive  figure,  but 
the  development  of  the  deposits  and  the  in- 
crease in  production  greatly  reduced  the  price 
and  augmented  the  consumption,  until  now  borax 
is  indispensable  in  many  industries  and  the  house- 
holds of  America.  The  original  deposits  were 
long  since  exhausted  and  now  the  crude  material 
is  being  principally  procured  from  Death  Valley, 
California.  The  trade  of  the  company  ex- 
tends to  all  parts  of  the  world  and  it  is 
used  for  the  toilet,  in  the  kitchen  and  laundry, 
in  the  sick  room  as  a  cleanser  and  antiseptic,  m 
the  nursery  as  a  remedy  for  chafing  and  irritation 
and  affections  of  the  throat  and  mouth  and  by 
chemists,  jewelers  and  in  the  industries  and  arts. 
The  product  of  the  company  is  known  by  the 
trade  mark  "20  mule  team."  This  mode  of  con- 
veying the  product  I  65  miles  over  the  desert  and 
up  and  down  the  rocky  canyons  and  steep  grades 
of  the  Funeral  Mountains  to  Mojave,  California, 
has  long  been  discontinued  but  its  use  is  indelibly 
associated  with  Death  Valley  and  the  Pacific 
Coast  Borax  Co. 


WILLIAM  E.  JORDAN.  INC. 

I  he  house  of  William  E.  Jordan,  Inc.,  im- 
porters and  exporters  of  chemical  products,  was 
established  in  1913  and  incorporated  one  year 
later.  The  organizer,  William  E.  Jordan,  who 
is  President  of  the  company,  is  a  native  of  Eng- 
land, who  came  to  this  country  when  very  young. 
He  was  educated  in  Great  Britain  and  in  New 
York  City  and  began  his  business  career  with  the 
firm  of  Tarrant  &  Co..  where  his  technical  training 
was  received.  He  afterwards  became  associated 
with  the  National  Aniline  and  Chemical  Company, 
where  he  remained  for  twenty-five  years  and  sup- 
plemented his  previous  training  with  a  complete 
knowledge  of  heavy  chemicals  and  dyestuffs  and 
then  began  business  on  his  own  account.  At  the 
present  time  William  E.  Jordan,  Inc.,  represent 
several  manufacturers  and  specialize  in  cresylic 
acid,  carbolic  acid,  crude  or  refined,  cresol,  phenol, 
U.  S.  P.,  naphthaline,  either  refined,  flakes  or 
crude,  beta  naphthol.  sublimed  or  technical,  beta- 
napthylamine,  sublimed  or  technical,  benzoic  acid, 
crude  and  U.  S.  P..  benzol,  toluol,  xyol,  sol- 
vent naphtha  and  disinfectants. 

The  exports  of  the  corporation  have  exceeded 
the  imports  since  the  breaking  out  of  the  European 
War  and  the  products  handled  by  the  house  now 
find  sale  in  China,  Japan,  England,  Italy.  Spain 
and  South  America,  while  the  domestic  trade  cov- 
ers the  entire  United  States.  Mr.  Jordan  was 
one  of  the  first  to  recognize  the  possibilities  of 
American  made  coal  tar  products  and  in  conse- 
quence of  his  judgment  and  foresight  his  firm  was 
one  of  the  first  to  get  into  this  comparatively  new 
field  with  resultant  business  advantages  to  the  con- 
cern. The  offices  of  William  E.  Jordan,  Inc., 
are  at  I  I  Cliff  Street.  The  Secretary  of  the  com- 
pany is  Robert  J.  Jordan. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


287 


GEORGE  H.  SEGAL  &  CO.,  INC. 


A  number  of  American  industries  which  lan- 
guished for  lack  of  patronage  before  the  war,  for 
the  double  reason  that  competition  with  foreign 
lands  was  too  strenuous  and  materials  were  too 
dlifficult  to  obtain  to  enable  the  American  manu- 
facturer to  successfully  place  his  goods  on  a  mar- 
ket subject  to  the  inroads  from  these  old  estab- 
lished European  makers,  have  been  revivified  and 
reorganized  and  in  many  cases  started  anew  since 
the  great  conflict  began. 

The  drug  and  chemical  world  has  been  subject 
to  many  dizzy  changes  in  America's  effort  to  keep 
pace  with  the  demand.  New  York,  as  the  seat 
of  the  country's  industries,  has  witnessed  many 
interesting  happenings.  New  firms  have  come  and 
gone  on  the  wave  of  prosperity  the  country  has 
known.  Many  failed  because  they  were  founded 
on  shifting  sands.  Others  have  survived  and 
promise  to  take  their  place  with  our  permanent 
and  solid  institutions  for  the  reason  that  they  have 
been  backed  by  experience  and  the  excellence  of 
their  products.  The  phenomenal  success  of  the 
house  of  George  H.  Segal  8c  Co.  in  the  short  time 
that  has  elapsed  since  its  organization  is  not  alone 
due  to  the  excellence  of  the  chemicals  manufac- 
tured and  sold  but  is  in  a  great  measure  the  result 
of  the  energy  and  business  activity  of  the  young 
men  composing  the  firm.  George  H.  Segal  &  Co. 
was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  .State  of 
New  York  in  1915.  with  George  H.  Segal.  Presi- 
dent. L.  G.  Cahill.  Vice-President,  and  Sylvan 
Segal,  Secretary.  It  was  established  for  the  sale 
of  drugs  and  chemicals  and  the  products  handled 
at  that  time  were  benzoic  acid.  U.  S.  P.,  ben- 
zoic acid  crude,  sodium  benzoate,  xeroform,  benzo 
napthal.  salicylic  acid,  U.  S.  P.,  sodium  salicylate. 


U.  S.  P..  salol.  U.  S.  P..  benzyl  chloride,  ben- 
zaldehyde.  benzyol  chloride,  bismark  brown, 
methyl  violet,  nigrosine,  W.  &  S.,  hematine  crystal, 
aniline  oils,  beta  napthol,  para-nitro  aniline  and 
para-nitro  napthol.  Finding  some  of  these  chemi- 
cals hard  to  get  on  account  of  war  condition* 
in  Europe,  the  company  began  manufacturing  in 
a  small  way.  specializing  at  first  in  the  production 
of  benzoic  acid.  U.  S.  P.  This  chemical  wa» 
eagerly  sought  by  the  trade  and  the  success  of 
the  venture  was  soon  assured,  the  company  now 
being  the  largest  manufacturer  of  benzoic  acid. 
U.  S.  P..  in  the  United  States.  The  house  of 
George  H.  Segal  &  Co..  Inc..  was  the  first  in  this 
country  to  make  xeroform.  This  product  was 
originally  made  exclusively  in  Germany  and  large 
quantities  of  it  were  imported  by  dealers  in  this 
country. 

The  success  of  the  company  has  been  unprece- 
dented in  the  manufacture  of  these  chemicals,  it 
now  being  necessary  to  run  three  factories  twenty- 
four  hours  a  day  to  supply  the  demand.  One  of  theie 
plants  is  located  in  Newark  and  the  other  two 
in  Jersey  City.  N.  J.  The  offices  of  the  company 
are  at  95  William  Street.  Mr.  Segal  and  Mr. 
Cahill  had  many  years  experience  along  kindred 
lines  before  beginning  business  for  themselves.  Mr. 
Segal  was  formerly  General  Superintendent  of  the 
Castle  Lubricating  Company  of  New  York  and 
Mr.  Cahill  was  for  a  long  time  buyer  for  the 
Myer  Drug  Company,  of  St.  Louis.  Mo.  They 
are  young  men  of  unusual  energy  and  business  ag- 
gressiveness as  their  success  shows  and  they  have 
made  for  the  house  a  strong  reputation  throughout 
the  country  for  upright  business  methods  and 
quality  of  the  goods  manufactured. 


CHAPTER  SEVENTEEN 


New  York  Harbor  and  Its  Maritime  Interests 


ExoLUTioN  OF  Ships  and  Steamers  Engaged  in  Ox  erseas  Trade  in  What  Is  Now 
THE  World's  Greatest  Port — New  York  Clippers  and  Present  Liners. 


THE  harbor  of  New  York  has  reached  the 
point  of  pre-eminence  in  the  number  and  ton- 
nage of  ships  which  enter  and  depart  from  it, 
Hendrick  Hudson,  who  chanced  into  it  while  seek- 
ing for  a  western  passage  to  "Far  Cathay,"  noted 
its  beauties  and  its  practical  convenience  as  a  har- 
bor large  enough  to  hold  all  the  ships  then  saihng 
the  Seven  Seas. 

In  the  earlier  history  of  the  harbor  it  was  ham- 
pered by  European  restrictions  and  inhibitions  im- 
posed upon  it  first  by  the  Dutch  and  later  by  the 
British  who  claimed  overlordship.  Even  after  the 
Independence  of  the  United  States  there  was  no 
freedom  of  commerce  from  our  ports  until  John 
Jay  secured  immunity  from  some  of  the  hampering 
annoyances  by  the  Treaty  of  I  795. 

Trouble  again  appeared  when  both  England  and 
France  claimed  the  right  of  search  and  threatened 
our  trade  through  British  "Orders  in  Council"  and 
French  "Napoleonic  Decrees."  Embargo  was 
tried,  first  by  Jefferson  and  again  by  Madison,  but 
only  made  matters  worse.  Our  troubles  with 
France  ended  by  the  repeal  of  the  Decrees  in 
1810,  but  the  issue  N\ith  Britain  had  to  be  fought 
out  and  won. 

Our  rights  on  the  seas  being  established,  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  advanced  to  a  place  of  much 
honor  in  all  parts  of  the  navigable  globe.  New 
York  had  not  been  the  principal  port  until  the 
Nineteenth  Century.  All  foreign  trade  had  lan- 
guished m  all  the  Atlantic  ports  during  the  years 
of  the  Embargo  and  the  War,  but  after  the 
Treaty  of  Ghent,  signed  December  24,  1814 
(although  the  news  of  it  did  not  reach  New 
York  until  February  14,  1815),  trade  both  coast- 
wise and  overseas  began  to  be  brisk,  shipbuilding 
was  resumed  with  vigor  and  the  United  States 
became  one  of  the  greatest  of  maritime  nations, 
with  New  York  as  its  principal  port. 

At  that  time  there  were  in  New  York  City 
three  large  shipyards:    That  of  Adam  and  Noah 


Brawn,  on  the  East  River  at  Houston  Street;  that 
of  Christian  Bergh,  on  the  East  River  near  Gouv- 
erneur's  Slip;  and  that  of  Henry  Eckford,  on  the 
East  River  near  that  of  Bergh.  These  shipyards 
had  been  busy  during  the  war  with  England, 
building  war  vessels  and  privateers  in  great  num- 
bers, until  the  British  blockade  caused  a  slacken- 
ing. But  after  peace  all  the  shipyards  of  the  city 
became  suddenly  busy  from  morning  to  night  lay- 
ing keel  after  keel  to  meet  the  demand  for  ves- 
sels. Regular  packet  service  was  established  by 
several  ship  firms.  The  "Black  Ball  Line"  of 
C.  H.  Marshall  &  Company  was  established  in 
1816,  plying  to  Liverpool.  The  Black  Ball 
packets  of  that  period  took  twenty-two  days,  on  an 
average,  for  the  voyage  out,  and  twenty-nine  for 
the  homeward  voyage.  In  1824  the  same  com- 
pany established  its  line  to  Havre,  with  twelve 
ships;  and  besides  these  ships  the  "Black  Ball" 
flag  topped  packets  from  Liverpool  to  Savannah, 
Charleston,  Mobile  and  New  Orleans.  Many  of 
these  vessels  were  built  in  New  York  and  others 
in  Maine.  Other  packet  lines  were  established, 
the  Red  Star  in  1 82 1 ,  running  swift  and  hand- 
some packets  weekly  between  New  York  and 
Liverpool.  Depau  put  four  ships  in  Havre 
packet  service  in  1 822  and  Grinnell,  Minturn  & 
Company  began  to  send  monthly  packets  to  Lon- 
don in  1823. 

Steam  was  not  used  to  any  very  great  extent  for 
transatlantic  service.  The  size  of  the  vessels  was 
not  so  large  in  those  days  and  for  small  vessels 
it  was  felt  that  the  increased  speed  would  not  com- 
pensate for  the  considerable  part  of  the  space  that 
would  be  taken  up  by  the  bunkers. 

In  the  building  of  wooden  ships  the  American 
builder  acquired  a  knack  of  combined  beauty  and 
speed  that  astonished  the  maritime  world.  In  the 
early  'forties  the  type  known  as  the  "Clipper"  was 
developed.  In  the  bringing  of  emigrants  from 
Europe  speed  paid.     The  passage  money  covered 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


289 


fare  and  food.  The  packet  had  been  a  good- 
looking  ship,  but  it  had  a  rounding  bow  and  a 
square  stern.  It  was  intended  to  be  convenient  for 
stowing  cargo.  The  chpper  would  sacrifice  carry- 
ing capacity  to  speed.  Her  lines  were  sharp,  and 
she  was  long  and  narrow.  Full-rigged  and  rush- 
ing through  the  water,  she  was  a  thing  of  beauty. 

Baltimore  is  credited  with  having  first  developed 
the  "Clipper,"  but  it  was  not  long  before  the  build- 
ing as  well  as  the  sailing  of  them  was  transferred 
to  New  York.  The  number  of  yards  in  the  city 
and  the  size  of  them  had  greatly  increased. 

Gold  was  discovered  in  California  in  1  848.  A 
man  by  the  name  of  Marshall,  who  had  come 
from  Australia  and  was  familiar  with  alluvial  gold 
deposits,  discovered  the  precious  metal  while  dig- 
ging a  mill-race  for  a  Captain  Sutter  on  the  Sacra- 
mento River.  His  find  was  followed  by  others 
made  by  other  adventurers.  The  news,  traveling 
slowly  overland,  reached  New  York  in  September. 
1848,  and  the  gold  fever  broke  out  all  over  the 
East.  Shipping  was  greatly  stimulated.  Men 
settled  their  affairs,  sold  out  their  goods  and  left 
their  families  to  seek  fortune  in  the  new  Eldorado. 

Shipyards  were  taxed  to  supply  the  demand  for 
new  and  fast  ships.  Merchants,  seeking  profitable 
ventures,  sent  their  clippers  around  the  Horn  to 
California,  thence  to  China  and  back  tea-laden. 
A  voyage  which  illustrates  some  of  the  noteworthy 
ventures  of  that  feverish  day  was  that  of  the  Sur- 
prise, built  in  East  Boston  and  owned  by  A.  A. 
Low  and  Brother  of  New  York.  She  sailed  to 
San  Francisco  in  ninety-six  days,  carrying  1 ,800 
tons  of  cargo  of  the  value  of  $200,000.  One 
day  during  this  voyage  she  covered  284  miles;  she 
made  the  entire  distance  of  16,308  miles  without 
furling  her  topsails.  From  San  Francisco  she 
sailed  to  Canton  and  took  on  board  a  cargo  of 
lea  and  proceeded  to  London.  Her  freight  money 
since  leaving  New  York  paid  her  cost  and  running 
expenses  and  netted  her  owners  $50,000. 

The  earliest  of  these  clippers,  built  from  1843 
to  1850,  were  comparatively  small  craft  of  from 
750  to  940  tons.  The  first  clipper  was  the  Rain- 
bow (750  tons)  built  by  Smith  and  Dimon  for 
William  H.  Aspinwall.  The  Samuel  Russell, 
940  tons,  was  built  by  Brown  and  Bell  for  A.  A. 
Low  and  Brother  and  became  famous  for  speed  as 
well  as  beauty.  In  1851  William  H.  Webb, 
one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  shipbuilders,  de- 
signed larger  ships  which  combined  speed  with 
strength  and  capacity.  No  finer  vessels  were  ever 
built  than  these:  the  Challenge,  2,000  tons;  the 
Invincible,  2,150  tons;  the  Comet,  1,209  tons; 
and  the  Sword-Fish,  1,150  tons.  The  Comet 
made  the  16,308  miles  around  the  Horn  to  San 
Francisco  and  return  in  seven  months  and  nine 
days,  her  homeward  voyage  being  made  in  seventy- 
six  days,  the  shortest  time  on  record.  The  Sword- 
Fish  made  a  voyage  from  Shanghai  to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  thirty-one  days,  an  average  of  240  miles 


a  day.  Other  vessels  made  wonderful  runs.  The 
Flying  Cloud  on  a  voyage  from  New  York  to 
San  Francisco  made  433  1-4  statute  miles  in  a 
single  day;  the  Sovereign  of  the  Seas  sailed  for 
ten  thousand  miles  without  tacking  or  wearing,  and 
the  Dreadnought,  most  famous  of  all  these  early 
clippers,  sailed  from  Queenstown  to  Sandy 
Hook  in  nine  days  and  seventeen  hours.  On  her 
first  return  trip  from  Liverpool  in  February,  1854, 
the  Dreadnought  beat  the  Cunard  steamer  Canada, 
reaching  Sandy  Hook  before  the  steamer  arrived  at 
Boston,  although  the  steamship  had  left  Liverpool 
a  day  earlier  than  the  Dreadnought.  The  versa- 
tility as  well  as  the  skill  of  the  American  ship- 
builders is  shown  in  the  fact  that  while  they  pro- 
duced in  these  famous  clippers  the  highest  type  of 
wooden  sailing  ships  that  has  ever  been  evolved, 
they  have  also  been  equally  successful  in  the  con- 
struction of  racing  yachts.  The  famous  schooner- 
yacht  America,  which  won  the  famous  Queen's 
Cup  (since  better  known  as  the  America's  Cup) 
in  the  regatta  of  the  Royal  Yacht  Squadron  in 
1851,  was  built  by  James  R.  and  George  Steers, 
shipbuilders  of  New  York,  and  although  there 
have  since  been  many  contests  between  American 
built  and  British  built  yachts  to  regain  that 
famous  trophy  the  cup  has  remained  with  the  New 
York  Yacht  Club  for  sixty-six  years. 

The  heyday  of  American  building  of  wooden 
ships  was  embraced  in  the  twenty  years  from  I  840 
to  1860.  An  article  by  George  W.  Sheldon, 
published  in  Harper's  Magazine  about  a  quarter 
of  a  century  ago,  gives  a  list  of  the  important  ship- 
yards of  New  York  a  year  or  two  preceding  the 
Civil  War.  That  of  Christian  Bergh,  (father 
of  Henry  Bergh,  founder  and  first  President 
of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals),  was  at  Scammel  and  Water  Streets. 
"Below  him"  said  Mr.  Sheldon's  article,  "at  the 
foot  of  Montgomery  Street,  was  the  shipyard  of 
Thorn  and  Williams,  and  lower  still,  near  the  foot 
of  Clinton  Street,  the  shipyard  of  Carpenter  and 
Bishop.  Picket  and  Thom's  yard  (afterward  at 
the  foot  of  Houston  Street),  adjoined  it  and  further 
south  James  Morgan  and  Son  had  built  a  bark 
at  the  foot  of  Rutgers  Street,  and  Joseph  Martin 
the  brig  Mary  Jane  at  the  foot  of  Pike  Street,  and 
the  ship  General  Page  at  the  foot  of  Pike  Street. 
Above  Mr.  Bergh's  was  a  series  of  yards  ex- 
tending along  the  East  River  as  high  up  as  Thir- 
teenth Street.  Sneden  and  Lawrence's  yard  near 
the  foot  of  Corlaers  Street;  Samuel  Harned's  yard, 
near  the  foot  of  Grand  Street;  Brown  and  Bell's 
yard,  from  Stanton  to  Houston  Streets,  which  was 
formerly  occupied  partly  by  Henry  Eckford  and 
partly  by  Adam  and  Noah  Brown;  Smith  and 
Dimon's  yard  from  Fourth  to  Fifth  Streets,  Allen 
and  Webb's  yard  (afterward  William  H. 
Webb's)  from  Fifth  to  Seventh  Streets;  Bishop 
and  Simonson's  yard  (afterward  Westervelt  and 
Mackay's).  from  Seventh  to  Eighth  Streets;  James 


290 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


R.  and  George  Steers  yard,  William  H.  Brown's 
Yard  and  Thomas  Collyer's  yard,  higher  still." 
Besides  these  leaders  there  were  other  shipyards 
(another  authority  says  thirty-two  in  all)  along 
the  Manhattan  shore  of  the  East  River.  But  the 
Civil  War  interfered  with  the  building  of  ships  to 
engage  in  foreign  trade.     The  Confederacy  had  a 


on  the  high  seas  and  practically  all  the  trans- 
atlantic lines  took  British  registry  and  transferred 
their  home  offices  to  Liverpool  or  London.  The 
"Black  Ball"  line  was  one  of  these,  and  its 
American  ships,  rechristened  with  names  more 
characteristically  British,  in  many  cases  floated  the 
Union  Jack.    The  clippers  largely  transferred  to 


New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce 


navy  too  small  to  cope  with  that  of  the  United 
States  and  those  ships  which  could  develop  suffi- 
cient speed  as  well  as  strength  were  sent  out  to 
destroy  or  capture  American  ships.  Other  ships 
were  fitted  up  by  the  Confederacy  as  privateers 
or  provided  with  letters  of  marque.  It  became 
a  dangerous  adventure  to  fly  the  American  flag 


the  Australian  and  South  African  trade,  the  Red 
Jacket,  Dreadnought,  and  Adelaide  which  had 
been  record-breakers  on  the  New  York-Liverpool 
run,  transferring  their  triumphs  to  the  trade  with 
Melbourne,  Sydney  and  Brisbane. 

For  passenger  service  on  the  trans-Atlantic  route, 
steamship  liners  had  already    largely    taken  the 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


291 


place  of  the  sailing  ships  but  as  late  as  I  863  the 
only  regular  steamships  running  direct  from  British 
ports  to  those  of  Australia  were  of  the  auxiliary- 
screw  type,  using  sail  when  the  wind  was  fair  and 
sufficient  and  steam  to  navigate  through  "the  dol- 
drums" or  other  becalmed  areas. 

Of  the  steamship  lines  those  that  had  been 
American  changed  their  nationality  as  the  clipper 
lines  had  done.  Thus  the  "Inman"  and  "Guion" 
lines  besides  several  others  became  English,  per- 
manently as  it  turned  out,  because  the  navigation 
laws  after  the  Civil  War  cut  out  the  transfer  of 
ships  from  foreign  to  American  registry,  requiring 
that  American  built  ships  only  could  be  sailed 
under  the  Stars  and  Stripes  and  making  it  so  that 
the  British  owner,  unless  he  wanted  to  engage  in 
coastwise  trade,  had  the  advantage  over  American 
lines  desiring  to  engage  in  foreign  commerce  m 
that  he  had  the  option  to  buy  his  ships  where  he 
pleased  and  could  trade  between  the  United  States 
and  foreign  ports,  otherwise,  on  the  same  terms 
as  the  American  owner.  The  result  was  that  for 
a  fairly  long  period  the  American  flag  was  rarely 
seen  in  a  foreign  port. 

The  pioneer  of  ocean-gomg  steamers  was  the 
Phoenix,  which  John  Stevens  of  Hoboken  sent 
around  to  Philadelphia.  The  first  steamship  to 
make  a  trans-Atlantic  voyage  was  the  Savannah, 
380  tons.  New  York  built,  which  steamed  from 
Savannah,  Georgia,  in  1819  to  Liverpool,  Cron- 
stadt  and  Copenhagen.  In  I  838  Brunei's  steam- 
ship Great  Western,  1,340  tons,  steamed  from 
Bristol,  England,  to  New  York  in  fifteen  days, 
and  the  Sirius  ran  across  from  London,  via  Cork, 
to  New  York.  The  Collins  Line  was  the  first 
American  line  of  importance  and  operated  under 
a  large  subsidy  from  the  United  States.  It  oper- 
ated from  1850  to  1858  with  a  fleet  of  five  Amer- 
ican steamships:  the  Pacific,  Arctic,  Adriatic,  Bal- 
tic and  Atlantic.  The  cost  of  these  vessels  was 
$4,000,000.  The  first  two  were  lost  at  sea;  the 
cost  of  the  voyages  exceeded  the  receipts;  the  sub- 
sidy was  withdrawn,  and  in  1858  the  Collins  Line 
ceased  to  run.  The  British  Cunard  Line,  starting 
service  in  I  840,  was  earliest  in  the  field  and  has 
continued  in  service  through  the  years.  The  In- 
man Line,  which  started  business  in  1  850,  began 
operations  under  the  title  of  the  Liverpool,  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  Steamship  Company.  Its 
ships,  named  after  cities,  "City  of  London,"  "City 
of  Pans,"  etc.,  were  noted  for  their  speed  and  at 
several  periods  made  record  runs.  In  1 886  the 
Inman  Line  was  purchased  by  the  International 
Navigation  Company,  of  Philadelphia,  but  con- 
tinued to  sail  under  the  British  flag  because  of 
our  navigation  laws.  A  movement  being  set  on 
foot  to  endeavor  to  again  make  the  American  flag 
a  factor  in  foreign  commerce  was  finally  so  far 
successful  as  to  give  the  company  the  opportunity 
to  naturalize  their  two  best  ships,  dropping  the 
words  "City  of"  from  their  names  and  making 


them  simply  the  New  York  and  Paris.  The 
ceremony  of  transferring  the  flag  to  the  New  York 
was  performed  on  Washington's  birthday,  by 
President  Benjamin  Harrison.  Other  ships  of 
American  build  were  added  from  time  to  time, 
the  line  being  one  of  the  mast  successful.  The 
Red  Star  Line,  under  foreign  registry,  is  also 
owned  by  the  International  Navigation  Company 
and  has  also  continued  in  regular  service. 

The  White  Star  Line  (or  Oceanic  Steam  Navi- 
gation Company)  was  founded  in  1870  and  has 
produced  and  run  many  of  the  finest  and  largest 
of  the  trans-Atlantic  steamships. 

The  Hamburg-American  and  the  Norddeutsch- 
er  Lloyd,  German  lines,  had  taken  a  conspicuous 
place  in  the  steamship  service  from  many  European 
ports  to  New  York  until  the  beginning  of  the 
War  in  1914,  when  many  of  the  vessels  of  these 
lines  were  self-interned  in  American  ports  until  the 
United  States  itself  entered  the  war,  when  they 
were  seized  by  the  United  States  authorities. 

Great  competition  has  been  maintained  between 
the  greater  lines  as  to  the  speed,  size,  elegance, 
and  service  of  their  "ocean  greyhounds."  The 
Cunard  Line,  with  the  Lusitania  and  Mauretania, 
sister  ships,  set  a  new  record  for  trans-Atlantic 
ships,  and  these  were  favorite  vessels  with  trav- 
elers until  the  Lusitania  was  sunk  without  warn- 
ing by  a  German  submarine,  and  the  Mauretania 
was  pressed  into  service  as  a  transport  by  the 
Biitish  Admiralty. 

The  White  Star  liner  Titanic,  which  came  to 
a  tragic  end  in  collision  with  an  iceberg  in  1912, 
was  a  still  larger  vessel  and  the  Imperator  and 
Vaderland,  German  vessels,  stretched  the  record 
a  little  further.  The  Vaderland  was  one  of  the 
German  vessels  seized  by  the  United  States  after 
the  declaration  of  war. 

Coastwise  lines  from  New  York  include  some 
of  the  finest  vessels  afloat  and  they  cover  all  the 
principal  Atlantic  ports  which  passengers  are  wont 
to  reach  by  water.  These  vessels,  all  of  Amer- 
ican build,  represent  a  continuation,  in  steel,  of  the 
shipbuildmg  prestige  of  America,  the  foundations 
of  which  were  laid  in  wood  by  the  old  builders 
of  packets  and  clippers.  These  great  coastwise 
lines,  all  American  owned  and  American  built, 
represent  the  highest  standard  of  steamship  effi- 
ciency in  build,  equipment  and  service.  In  the 
foreign  trade  the  business  was  very  largely  in 
foreign  hands,  both  as  to  the  regular  lines  and  the 
"tramp"  steamers.  The  management  of  the  va- 
rious lines,  or  their  New  York  business,  is  in  the 
hands  of  business  firms  of  prominence,  some  of 
them  among  the  oldest  commercial  houses  of  the 
city. 

Recent  tendency  of  legislation  aims  to  build 
up  the  United  States  merchant  marine  not  only 
with  reference  to  the  domestic  but  also  in  the  in- 
ternational trade,  so  that  a  much  larger  share  of 
international  freight  and  passenger  traffic  may  be 


292 


NEW    YORK—CLD    AND  NEW 


carried  in  American  bottoms.  A  rather  large 
number  of  American  vessels  have  been  destroyed 
by  submarines  since  the  war  began  and  m  con- 
nection with  international  traffic  there  has  been  a 
much  larger  participation  of  American  bottoms 
during  the  war  period  than  for  a  long  time  be- 
fore the  destruction  of  ships  by  submarine  warfare, 
calling  many  more  ships  of  American  registry  into 
the  foreign  trade.  It  has  also  stimulated  ship- 
building so  that  more  ships  are  now  being  built  in 
America  than  ever  before,  and  larger  forces  and 
equipment  for  the  building  of  ships.  So  that  it 
may  well  be  that  after  the  issues  of  the  war  are 
settled.  New  ^  ork  and  the  country  at  large  will 
find  the  means  and  instrumentalities  at  hand  for 
American  bottoms  to  handle  a  much  larger  share 
of  international  sea-carriage  than  ever  before. 

As  a  seaport,  the  island  of  Manhattan  rises 
from  a  land-locked  harbor  large  enough,  still,  to 
float  the  world's  navies.  About  eighteen  miles 
south  of  the  Battery  begin  the  entrance  channels 
to  the  Lower  Bay.  These  include  the  South, 
Main,  Gedney  and  Ambrose  Channels,  the  last 
named,  completed  in  1907,  being  the  deepest  of 
all  and  used  by  ships  of  deepest  draught.  The 
Lower  Bay  is  connected  with  the  Upper  Bay  and 
Newark  Bay  by  the  Kills  around  Staten  Island. 
To  the  east  of  Manhattan  Island  the  Upper  Bay 
is  connected  with  Long  Island  Sound  by  East 
River,  which  affords  a  route  safely  protected  from 


the  storms  of  the  Atlantic  for  vessels  bound  either 
way  between  New  York  and  the  cities  of  Southern 
New  England.  On  the  north  of  Manhattan 
Island  the  Harlem  Ship  Canal,  which  was  opened 
with  appropriate  ceremonies  June  17,  1895,  con- 
nects East  River  with  the  Hudson. 

The  Hudson  River  itself  is  one  of  the  world's 
greatest  water  highways.  Upon  it  ride  the  most 
magnificently  equipped  river  steamers  that  float 
anywhere  on  inland  waters.  I  o  commerce  it  af- 
lords  an  outlet  from  the  great  Barge  Canal  Sys- 
tem, of  the  products  of  the  Northwest  into  the  har- 
bor, warehouses  and  vessels  which  ply  from  New 
York  Harbor  in  domestic  and  world-wide  trade. 

At  ebb-tide  there  is  a  depth  of  twenty-one  feet 
of  water  on  the  outer  bar  between  Sandy  Hook 
and  Long  Island.  The  tidal  wave  rises  and  falls 
only  six  feet.  The  port  is  open  to  navigation  all 
the  year,  even  when  the  Delaware  and  Chesapeake 
bays  are  frozen  over,  as  has  occasionally  happened. 

The  Lower  Bay  has  eighty-eight  square  miles  of 
anchorage  and  the  Upper  Bay  fourteen  square 
miles,  or  one  hundred  and  two  square  miles  in  all. 

1  he  harbor  has  478  miles  of  water  front  and  seven 
hundred  miles  of  wharf  room.  Great  improve- 
ments have  been  made  in  the  water  front  of  the 
city  by  a  wonderfully  complete  system  of  docks 
and  jetties.  Such  is  the  great  harbor  of  New 
York,  peerless  as  a  center  of  commerce  and  of 
shipping. 


Uld  View  of  the  City  and  Harbor 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


293 


FURNESS.  WITHY  &  CO.,  LTD. 


Furness,  Withy  &  Co.,  Ltd.,  steamship  owners 
and  brokers,  who  operate  lines  between  several 
domestic  ports  and  Europe,  have  placed  contracts 
for  the  construction  of  fourteen  steamers  for  its 
own  and  associated  companies.  This  will  make 
the  firm's  fleet  the  largest  engaged  m  the  trans- 
Atlantic  service,  which  includes  fortnightly  sailings 
between  Boston  and  Liverpool;  between  St.  John's, 
N.  F.,  and  Halifax  and  Liverpool;  Halifax,  N.  S., 
and  St.  John,  N.  B.,  and  London;  between 
Philadelphia  and  Liverpool;  New  York  and  Car- 
diff; Philadelphia  and  Glasgow;  Philadelphia  and 
Manchester;  and  between  Baltimore  and  Man- 
chester. In  addition  there  are  regular  sailings 
between  Newport  News,  Norfolk  and  Lverpool; 
Newport  News,  Norfolk  and  London;  New  York 
to  Leith  and  Dundee,  Philadelphia  to  Leith  and 
Dundee  and  Baltimore  to  Leith  and  Dundee.  There 
are  also  monthly  sailings  from  St.  John's,  N.  F.,  to 
London  direct.  The  firm  makes  direct  deliveries 
from  cars  through  covered  piers  to  steamers  and 
gives  special  attention  to  handling  and  promptly  for- 
warding flour  to  London,  Manchester,  Cardiff, 
Glasgow,  Leith,  Dundee  and  Aberdeen.  The 
offices  are  located  at  32  Broadway,  New  York 
City;  4  Liberty  Square,  Boston;  454  Bourse 
Building,  Philadelphia;  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Baltimore;  Newport  News  and  the  Law  Building, 
Norfolk,  Va.  James  P.  Robertson  is  the  Gen- 
eral Western  Passenger  Agent,  with  headquarters 
at  111  West  Jackson  Boulevard,  Chicago,  and 
F.  C.  Thompson,  Board  of  Trade  Building,  To- 
ronto, looks  after  the  Canadian  interest.  .All  the 
American  offices  are  under  the  supervision  of  H.  C. 
Beackestor,  who    has    been    with    the  company 


since  Its  incorporation.  The  firm  also  acts  as  agent 
for  the  Quebec  Steamship  Co.,  which  operates  the 
twin  screw  steamer  "Bermudian  "  between  New 
York  and  Bermuda  and  the  new  steamship 
"Guiana"  and  other  steamers  between  New  York 
and  the  West  Indies.  The  latter  line  has  fort- 
nightly sailings,  for  St.  Thomas,  St.  Croix, 
St.  Kitts,  Antigua  Guadaloupe,  Dominica,  St.  Lu- 
cia, Barbadoes  and  Demerara.  The  company 
recently  purchased  the  remaining  half  interest  in  the 
Johnson  Line,  which  is  a  valuable  addition  to  its 
service,  trading  as  it  does  between  Baltimore  and 
Liverpool  and  Liverpool  and  Mediterranean, 
Black  Sea  and  Danube  ports.  The  latter  service, 
however,  has  been  somewhat  disorganized  by  the 
war.  Being  sole  proprietors  of  G.  V.  Tumbull 
&  Co.,  Ltd.,  of  Leith,  to  which  port  the  Furness 
Line  has  regular  service  from  New  York,  Balti- 
more and  Philadelphia,  the  offices  at  Leith  will  in 
future  be  conducted  under  the  name  of  Furness, 
Withy  &  Co.,  Ltd.  The  opening  of  the  Leith 
office  under  the  company's  name  completes  the 
chain  to  most  of  the  British  ports  to  which  it  runs 
regular  service  of  steamers,  viz.,  London,  Liver- 
pool, New  Castle,  Cardiff,  Leith  and  Glasgow. 
The  organization,  both  at  the  British  and  American 
ports,  includes  stevedore  plants  and  regular  super- 
intendents, which  gives  increased  efficiency.  The 
company  has  been  of  great  aid  to  the  European 
countries  during  the  war,  its  fleet  of  steamers  carry- 
ing full  cargoes  of  meat  from  the  River  Plate 
to  the  United  Kingdom,  France,  Italy  and  Egypt, 
thus  contributing  in  no  small  measure  to  the  meat 
supply  necessary  to  maintain  the  armies  and  for 
home  consumption. 


294 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


KERR  STEAMSHIP  COMPANY 


The  Kerr  Steamship  Line  was  organized  shortly 
after  the  outbreak  of  the  European  war  to  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunities  offered  by  the  de- 
velopment of  transatlantic  shipping  and  its  growth 
since  that  period  has  been  marvelous.  H.  Far- 
quharson  Kerr,  President  of  the  company,  is  a 
son  of  the  late  J.  E.  Kerr  of  Jamaica,  W.  I.,  and 
New  York  City,  who  was  a  pioneer  in  the  banana 
business  between  Jamaica  and  this  country.  He 
enjoyed  the  distinction  of  having  built  the  "Pom- 
ona," the  first  steamer  specially  designed  for  carry- 
ing bananas.  H.  Farquharson  Kerr  was  former- 
ly engaged  in  the  shipping  business  with  the  firm 
of  J.  E.  Kerr  &  Co.  He  was  thoroughly  trained 
in  maritime  matters  and,  realizing  there  would  be 
a  large  increase  in  transatlantic  shipping  due  to 
war  conditions,  he  relinquished  his  connection  with 
J.  E.  Kerr  &  Co.,  and  established  the  Kerr 
Steamship  Line  in  association  with  A.  E.  Clegg, 
who  became  Vice-President,  and  H.  S.  Quick, 
General  Freight  Agent.  His  judgment  in  regard 
to  largely  increased  business  did  not  err  and  his 
foresight  has  been  rewarded  by  the  building  up  of 
one  of  the  most  powerful  steamship  organizations 
operating  from  the  port  of  New  York.  The  com- 
pany was  only  in  its  incipiency  when  Mr.  Kerr, 
looking  the  situation  over  carefully,  de:ided  upon 
the  ports  where  the  largest  and  most  advantageous 
business  could  be  done,  and  the  line  soon  had 
regular  sailings  to  Havre,  Bordeaux  and  Mar- 
seilles. About  ten  steamers  per  month  were  re- 
quired for  this  service  and  their  regular  sailings 
were  established  with  the  steamers  of  the  Compania 
Maritime  del  Nervion,  to  all  Spanish  and  Portu- 
guese ports.  The  steamers  of  Wilhelm  Wilhelm- 
sen,  of  Tonsburg,  Norway,  the  largest  shipowner  in 
that  country,  were  utilized  to  form  a  regular  service 
bet^veen  New  York.  Brazil  and  the  Plate  and  this 
branch  has  taken  its  place  among  the  important 
lines  operating  between  this  country  and  South 
America. 

Mr.  Kerr's  firm  has  important  connections 
among  steamship  owners  in  Europe  and  on  a 
recent  trip  to  that  country  he  made  arrangements 
for  the  development  of  the  Kerr  Steamship  Line, 
in  many  directions  after  the  war,  and  established 
an  office  at  7  Rue  Scribe,  Paris,  and  an  efficient 


dock  organization  and  office  at  Bordeaux.  Other 
offices  maintained  by  the  line  outside  of  New  York 
are  located  in  New  Orleans,  Chicago  and  Mar- 
seilles. Among  the  steamships  operated  by  the 
Kerr  Steamship  Line  is  the  "Rochester,"  which 
was  one  of  the  first  American  vessels  to  defy  the 
German  submarines,  arriving  at  Bordeaux  soon 
after  the  Kaiser  had  inaugurated  his  new  campaign 
of  maritime  ruthlessness.  The  line  has.  in  addition 
to  its  present  fleet  of  owned  and  chartered  steam- 
ships, several  under  construction  and  it  recently  ac- 
quired eight  Austrian  cargo  boats  which  had  been 
laid  up  in  American  ports  since  the  beginning  of 
the  war.  Recently  at  Hoboken,  N.  J.,  interesting 
ceremonies  accompanied  the  raising  of  the  Ameri- 
can flag  on  one  of  the  recently  purchased  boats. 
This  was  the  "Kermanshah,"  formerly  the  "Hima- 
laia."  This  vessel,  which  is  of  8,100  tons  dead 
weight,  built  in  1910.  has  been  lying  at  New  York 
since  August.  1914.  The  other  Austrian  vessels 
acquired  by  the  line  which  will  hereafter  sail  un- 
der the  American  flag  are  the  "Kerkenna,"  for- 
merly "Borneo."  5.500  tons,  built  in  1910,  which 
had  been  lying  at  Tampa;  "Keresan."  formerly 
"Erodiade,"  6,780  tons,  built  in  1910,  which 
had  been  lying  at  Buenos  Aires;  "Kerlen,"  late 
"Virginia,"  4.805  tons,  built  in  1906.  lying  at 
Havana;  "Kerwood,"  formerly  "Budapest," 
5,350  tons,  built  in  1911,  lying  at  Norfolk; 
"Kermoor,"  formerly  "Morawitz,"  6,980  tons, 
built  in  1907,  lying  at  Galveston;  "Keresampa," 
late  "Franconia."  7,300  tons,  built  in  1903,  ly- 
ing at  Philadelphia;  and  the  "Kerowlee,"  former- 
ly "Campania."  6,100  tons,  built  in  1901.  lying 
at  Galveston.  It  will  be  noticed  that  in  renaming 
these  foreign  boats  the  name  of  Kerr  appears  as  a 
part  of  all  the  titles.  This  large  increase  in  ton- 
nage will  greatly  strengthen  the  service  of  the  Kerr 
Steamship  Lines  and  greatly  benefit  the  American 
trade.  The  enormous  increase  of  the  business  of 
the  Kerr  Steamship  Line  makes  it  a  most  important 
factor  in  deep  sea  trade  and  places  it  among  the 
most  successful  sailing  from  American  ports.  The 
offices  of  the  line  in  the  Whitehall  Building.  17 
Battery  Place,  teem  with  business  activity  and 
over  each  department  Mr.  Kerr  keeps  a  watchful 
eye  and  personally  supervises  every  detail. 


Raising  the  Flag  on  the  Steamship  Kermanshah  of  the  Kerr  Steamship  Company  at 
Hoboken,  July  19,  1917. 


296 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


BARBER  &  CO..  INC. 


Barber  &  Co.,  Inc.  steamship  owners,  operating 
lines  to  many  parts  of  the  world,  was  established 
m  1888  as  Barber  &  Co.,  by  James  and  Herbert 
Barber.  The  firm  was  incorporated  in  1 900, 
with  James  Barber  as  President  and  E.  J.  Barber, 
Vice-President.  The  business  has  had  a  remark- 
able growth  since  its  modest  establishment,  the 
various  lines  now  requiring  eight  steamers,  which 
the  company  owns,  and  many  chartered  vessels. 
The  Barber  Lines  have  regular  sailings  from  New 
ork  to  Havre,  Bordeaux  and  La  Pallice,  while 
the  Uruguay-Argentine  service  sails  from  New^ 
York  to  Montevideo,  La  Plata,  Buenos  Ayres, 
Rosario,  Bahia  Bianca  and  Port  Madryn.  The 
Union  Clan  Line  is  from  New  York,  thence  to 
Cape  Town.  Algoa  Bay,  East  London,  Port 
Natal  and  Delagoa  Bay.  The  London  repre- 
sentatives for  this  line  are  Cayzer,  Irvine  &  Co., 
and  the  Union  Castle  Mail  Steamship  Co.,  Ltd., 
where  rates  from  the  English  metropolis  can  be 
obtained.  The  Australia  and  New  Zealand  Bar- 
ber Line  makes  direct  sailings  from  New  York 
to  Wellington,  Brisbane,  Sydney,  Melbourne, 
Adelaide,  the  various  New  Zealand  ports,  Phil- 


ippines, ('hina  and  Japan.  Steamers  in  this  serv- 
ice intended  to  sail  via  the  Panama  Canal  can  be 
diverted  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  or  any 
other  routes  as  the  owners  reserve  the  right  to 
make  such  change  and  all  liberties  as  per  bill  of 
lading. 

Another  important  line  is  that  between  New 
York  and  Vladivostok,  Yokohama,  Kobe  and 
Shanghai  and  Manila.  Steamers  also  make  sail- 
ings from  Norfolk  and  Newport  News  when  in- 
ducement offers.  Barber  &  Co.,  Inc.,  have  a  most 
complete  organization,  the  offices,  in  the  White- 
hall Building,  1  7  Battery  Place,  being  so  ar- 
ranged that  business  is  conducted  quietly  and  most 
expeditiously  by  the  one  hundred  employes.  So 
perfect  is  every  detail  of  the  service  that  the  visitor 
gets  but  a  small  idea  of  the  vast  business  being 
done.  Steamers  of  large  tonnage  with  general 
cargoes  are  constantly  being  cleared  for  all  ports 
of  the  world  and  as  often  arriving  with  extracts, 
dye,  wool  and  hides  from  La  Platte,  sugar  and 
hemp  from  the  Philippines,  wool  from  Aus- 
tralia and  the  many  products  of  South  and  East 
Africa,  China,  Japan  and  France. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND    NEW  297 


SIMPSON,  SPENCE  &  YOUNG 


The  firm  of  Simpson,  Spence  &  Young,  steam- 
ship brokers  and  agents,  originated  from  the  firm 
of  Joshua  S.  Tucker  &  Co.,  with  which  Mr. 
Ernest  L.  Simpson  and  Mr.  Lewis  H.  Spence 
were  connected  from  the  establishment  of  the 
business,  January  I,  1876.  In  December,  1880, 
Simpson  &  Spence  entered  the  field  as  successors 
to  Joshua  S.  Tucker  &  Co.,  with  Mr.  William 
M.  Young  as  their  representative  in  England.  A 
year  or  so  later  Mr.  Young  became  a  member  of 
the  firm,  which  then  assumed  its  present  title. 

The  principal  office  of  Simpson,  Spence  & 
Young  is  at  I  1  Broadway,  New  York  City,  where 
Mr.  Simpson  and  Mr.  Spence  are  located.  In 
London,  vvhere  Mr.  Young  resides  and  has  charge 
of  the  European  business,  in  association  with  Mr. 
John  S.  Kitching,  a  junior  partner,  the  firm's 
offices  are  at  117  Leadenhall  Street.  Mr. 
Thomas  Kitching,  now  a  partner,  is  in  charge  of 
the  West  Hartlepool  office.  The  Liverpool  office, 
managed  by  Mr.  Charles  R.  Johnson,  is  located  at 
I  7  Water  Street  and  that  in  Glasgow,  managed 
by  Mr.  Robert  Muir,  a  junior  partner,  is  at 
7  Royal  Bank  Place. 

The  firm  does  an  extensive  chartering  business 
in  British,  French,  Italian,  Scandinavian  and  Greek 
steamships,  etc.,  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  The 
firm  has  close  connections  with  the  principal  char- 
terers at  the  different  ports  in  the  United  States. 
It  has  acted  for  many  years  as  chartering  agents 
for  the  Strachan  Shipping  Co.,  the  largest  ship- 
loading  and  chartering  concern  at  Savannah,  Bruns- 
wick, Charleston  and  Fernandina. 

Simpson,  Spence  &  Young  are  also  managers 
of  The  Texas  Transport  &  Terminal  Co.,  Inc., 


with  offices  at  New  Orleans  and  Galveston.  At 
New  Orleans  that  company  acts  as  agent  for  the 
Compagnie  Generale  Transatlantique  (French 
Line),  operating  a  regular  service  to  Havre;  the 
Holland-America  Line,  with  a  regular  service 
to  Rotterdam  and  the  Creole  Line  operating  a 
regular  line  to  Genoa.  At  Galveston,  The  Texas 
Transport  &  Terminal  Co.  occasionally  load 
steamers  for  Havre  for  the  Compagnie  Generale 
Transatlantique  and  have  a  regular  service  of  the 
Creole  Line,  to  Genoa.  Simpson,  Spence  &  Young 
also  manage  The  Port  Arthur,  Texas,  Trans- 
atlantic Line,  Inc.,  which  operates  lines  from 
Port  Arthur,  Texas,  to  the  different  European 
ports,  under  an  arrangement  with  The  Kansas 
City  Southern  Railway,  the  only  railroad  entering 
Port  Arthur. 

By  reason  of  the  firm's  extensive  connections, 
through  their  various  agencies  at  the  principal  ports 
of  the  United  States,  they  are  in  the  best  position 
to  offer  to  steamship  owners  the  most  comprehensive 
information  as  to  the  best  employment  of  their 
steamers  and,  as  their  different  British  houses 
receive,  every  day,  the  most  exhaustive  cable 
advices  regarding  the  freights  that  are  offering  from 
all  the  United  Stales  ports,  they  are  in  a  position 
to  give  to  clients  the  best  information  obtainable. 

The  firm  has  established  a  very  efficient  depart- 
ment for  the  sale,  purchase  and  construction  of 
steamers  and  has  during  recent  years,  particularly 
since  the  outbreak  of  the  great  European  war, 
effected  a  large  number  of  sales  of  steamers.  They 
are  in  close  touch  with  shipbuilders  in  the  United 
States  and  are  in  the  best  position  to  make  con- 
tracts for  the  construction  of  vessels. 


298 


.WEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


McDonnell  ^  truda 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


299 


tonnage  and  touring  service.  The  offices  are  located 
at  5  State  Street  and  the  loading  berth  is  at  Pier 
B,  Pennsylvania  Railroad  wharves,  Jersey  City. 
The  firm  of  McDonnell  &  Truda  although  a  young 
one,  has  gained  a  wide  reputation  in  maritime  af- 
fairs. It  does  not  confine  itself  to  the  steamship 
agency  business  alone  but  is  also  engaged  in  the 


ergy  of  the  individual  members  of  the  firm.  They 
are  young  men  full  of  the  spirit  of  progress  and 
give  their  undivided  time  to  the  interests  of  the 
firm.  Mr.  McDonnell,  senior  member  of  the  firm, 
was  born  in  New  York  City  and  Mr.  Truda  is 
a  native  of  Italy.  They  served  long  apprentice- 
ships in  the  business  and  possess  a  thorough  knowl- 


Dominick  A.  Truda 


general  shipping  business  as  charterers,  owners 
and  loading  agents.  Acting  as  brokers  for  ex- 
port tonnage,  the  firm  supplies  every  kind  of 
vessel  for  clearance  to  any  open  port  in  the 
world  and  this  branch  of  the  business  has  ex- 
panded wonderfully  since  the  firm's  organization. 
This  grcmth  is  unquestionably  the  result  of  the  en- 


edge  of  everything  pertaining  to  the  line.  With 
this  full  equipment  the  firm  was  organized  and  the 
perfect  familiarity  of  each  member  with  every  de- 
tail of  procedure  known  to  the  business  makes 
success  assured  and  McDonnell  &  Truda  are  now 
ranked  with  the  leading  and  successful  steamship 
agents  and  brokers  doing  business  at  this  port. 


300 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


WILLIAM  H.  RANDALL  &  COMPANY 


One  of  the  largest  concerns  engaged  in  ship- 
ping and  its  subsidiary  lines  at  this  port  is  the  firm 
of  Wilham  H.  Randall  &  Co.,  of  Boston  and 
New  York.  The  firm  was  organized,  under  its 
present  title,  on  March  I,  1916,  at  which  time 
Captain   Randall   resigned    from   the  Presidency 


and  they  have  never  lost  their  love  and  instinct  for 
the  sea.  This  doubtless  accounts  for  their  en- 
trance into  maritime  affairs  and  the  success  that 
has  followed  that  association. 

William  H.  Randall  &  Co.  act  as  managers 
and  agents  of  the  Shawmut  Steamship  Company, 


of  J.  S.  Emery  &  Co.  of  Boston  to  form  his 
present  connection.  This  firm,  of  which  Capt. 
Randall  was  the  executive  head,  is  the  oldest  en^ 
gaged  in  the  shipping  line  in  the  New  England 
metropolis,  having  been  in  business  for  over  one 
hundred  years.  The  other  members  of  the  firm  of 
William  H.  Randall  &  Co.  are:  Harris  Livemorc, 
who  was  at  the  time  of  the  organization  of  the  new 
firm  President  of  the  Shawmut  Steamship  Com- 
pany, a  position  he  still  retains;  Lester  H.  Monks, 
whose  family  has  been  in  the  shipping  business  far 
nearly  three  hundred  years,  first  down  on  Cape 
Cod  and  later  in  Boston;  G.  Peabody  Gardner, 
Jr.,  whose  ancestors  were  famous  ship  owners  of 
Salem,  Mass.  The  last  named  member  joined 
the  firm  in  May,  1916.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that 
each  member  of  the  firm  is  by  heredity  and  tradi- 
tion closely  connected  with  ocean  transportation, 


which  in  July,  1916,  sold  its  fleet  to  the  French 
Gcrvernment,  retaining  only  the  coal  barges  which 
it  operated.  The  money  received  from  the  French 
Ga\ernment  for  these  vessels  was  added  to  by  con- 
tributions from  the  stockholders  and  the  total  sum 
was  set  aside  for  the  construction  of  five  large 
steamships  which  run  from  7,500  to  10,000  tons 
deadweight.  The  first  of  the  new  fleet,  the 
steamship  "Sudbury,"  7,500  tons  deadweight  and 
I  1  knots  speed,  was  launched  at  Chester,  Penn- 
sylvania. September  29.  1917.  The  same  yard  is 
building  for  the  Shawmut  Company  two  other 
ships  of  similar  type  which  should  be  off  the  ways 
some  time  during  1918.  The  Sun  Ship  Building 
Co.  are  also  building  two  ten  thousand  ton  ships 
for  them. 

William  H.  Randall  &  Co.  are  bankers  and 
brokers  in  maritime  securities  and  probably  do 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


301 


the  largest  business  in  unlisted  ship  securities  of 
any  house  on  the  street.  They  are  also  ship 
brokers,  buying  and  selling  vessels  and  chartering 
the  same  and  specializing  in  coal  tonnage.  The 
firm  since  its  organization  has  taken  up  many  sub- 
sidiary lines  and  it  is  largely  interested  in  several 
corporations,  among  which  is  Rojas,  Randall  & 
Co.,  Inc.,  of  New  York,  who  are  importers  and 
exporters  specializing  in  the  West  India  and  East 
Coast  of  South  America  trade;  the  Ocean  Com- 
pany, Inc.,  freight  forwarders,  with  offices  in  New 
York,  Boston,  Philadelphia  and  Chicago,  and 
Randall,  Livermare  &  Co.,  Inc.,  insurance  under- 
writers, specializing  in  marine  risks.  The  Marine 
Associates,  a  Massachusetts  voluntary  trust,  which 
holds  shares  of  steamship  companies  and  interests 
closely  allied,  is  under  the  management  of  the  firm, 
which  also  acts  in  a  like  capacity  for  the  Marine 
Investments  Company. 

The  offices  of  William  H.  Randall  &  Co.  are 
located  at  60  Federal  Street,  Boston,  and  26 
Beaver  Street,  New  York  City.  They  employ  about 
I  00  people,  mostly  Americans,  with  a  sprinkling  of 
Spaniards  and  South  Americans,  who  are  engaged 
in  the  departments  devoted  to  the  Latin-American 
countries. 


HARRISS.  MAGILL  &  CO.,  INC. 

This  firm  of  steamship  owners,  agents  and 
brokers,  1 5  William  Street,  New  York  City, 
N.  Y.,  was  organized  shortly  after  the  outbreak 
of  the  European  war  to  take  care  of  General  Ship- 
ping business  in  vessels  of  all  descriptions. 

When  organized,  the  firm  was  General  Agent 
of  the  Harby  Steamship  Co.,  Inc.  They  now  are 
General  Agents  of  the  Pyne  Company,  Inc.,  of 
New  York;  also  managers  of  Kinn  Limited,  Inc., 
a  New  York  corporation  whi;h  handles  sail  ton- 
nage exclusively.  They  are  also  General  Agents 
for  Messrs.  Solleveld  Van  der  Meer  and  T.  H. 
Van  Hattum  of  Rotterdam,  Holland. 

While  the  company  is  of  comparatively  recent 
organization,  it  is  one  of  the  best  known  and  most 
successful  in  its  particular  field.  The  officers  are 
W.  L.  Harriss,  President;  J.  P.  Magill,  Vice- 
President  and  General  Manager,  and  Mr.  E.  S. 
Bull,  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 


A.  O.  ANDERSEN  &  CO..  INC. 
An  Old  Copenhagen  Shipping  Firm  That 
Has  Become  a  Competitor  for 
the  Trade  of  the  Port. 
The  European  war,  which  made  radical  changes 
in  New  York  shipping  circles,  brought  into  the 
field  several  foreign  firms  that  are  making  them- 
selves felt  in  the  trans-Atlantic  trade.  Among 
these  is  A.  O.  Andersen  &  Co.,  of  Copenhagen, 
a  concern  that  is  recognized  abroad  as  one  of  the 
leaders  in  the  foreign  shipping  trade  and  one  that 
enjoys  an  enviable  reputation  for  strict  business  in- 
tegrity. This  firm,  recognizing  the  possibilities  for 
an  increased  American  business,  established  a 
New  York  City  branch  in  November,  1915.  In 
September,  1916,  the  business  was  incorporated 
under  the  laws  of  this  State  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $250,000,  under  the  title  of  A.  O.  Andersen 
&  Co.,  Inc.  The  President  of  the  corporation 
is  A.  O.  Andersen,  of  Copenhagen,  with  A. 
Reimann  as  Vice-President  and  V.  Reimann, 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  and  General  Manager. 
The  two  last  named  gentlemen,  both  of  whom 
have  had  wide  experience  in  the  business,  have 
charge  of  the  New  York  office.  The  main  office 
is  still  in  Copenhagen  and  additional  branches  are 
maintained  at  Christiania,  Elsinore,  San  I  raii-  i^vO, 
Seattle  and  Portland,  Oregon.  The  Portland  and 
San  Francisco  branches  conduct  a  business  that 
reaches  every  port  in  the  seven  seas  and  to  parallel 
this  vast  business  is  the  ultimate  aim  of  the  New 
York  corporation.  It  works  under  its  own  capital  of 
$100,000  in  Portland  and  $50,000  in  San 
Francisco  and,  in  addition  to  its  foreign  business, 
is  interested  in  a  fleet  of  schooners,  equipped  with 
oil-burning  motor  auxiliaries,  for  use  in  the 
Pacific  Coast  lumber  trade.  The  company  is 
operating  on  an  extensive  scale  and  owing  to  the 
knowledge  and  combined  efforts  of  the  New  York 
representatives,  the  business  is  steadily  increasing. 
It  owns  steamships  and  conducts  a  general  bro- 
kerage business  and  was  the  first  corporation  in  this 
country  to  build  tonnage  for  foreign  accounts  and 
contract  for  a  large  number  of  steamers  of  7,000, 
9,000  and  10,000  tons  capacity.  The  corpora- 
tion also  acts  as  chartering  agent  for  many  large 
Norwegian  and  other  Scandinavian  concerns  and 
its  correspondents  and  connections  are  to  be  found 
in  all  parts  of  the  world.  A.  O.  Andersen  &  Co. 
rank  with  the  biggest  shipping  concerns  in  the 
world  and  none  has  better  facilities  or  conducU 
business  along  more  honorable  lines.  Its  entry 
into  the  New  York  trans-Atlantic  trade  will  stim- 
ulate business  here,  by  friendly  competition,  and 
materially  add  to  the  tonnage  of  the  Port. 


302 


NFJV    YORK^OI  D    AND  NEW 


PH.  VAN  OMMER 

In  anticipation  of  a  large  increase  in  the  trade 
between  the  United  States  and  Holland,  including 
the  Netherlands  Colonies,  the  shipping  house  of 
Ph.  van  Ommeren.  one  of  the  oldest  mercantile 
and  shipping  concerns  in  Holland,  opened  on  July 
I.  1916.  a  branch  in  New  York  City  under  the 
name  of  The  Ph.  van  Ommeren  Corporation  of 
New  York  with  offices  at  42  Broadway.  This 
corporation  has  experienced  a  wonderful  growth 
and  development  and  is  now  in  a  position  to 
handle  merchandise  imported  to  this  country  from 
any  portion  of  the  Dutch  East  Indies  or  Con- 
tinental Europe  and  to  ship  from  America  to 
many  of  the  European  countries  and  the  Levant 
ports.  The  Ph.  van  Ommeren  Corporation  acts 
as  international  conveyers,  shippers  and  forward- 
ers to  England.  Scandinavia.  South  America, 
Holland,  the  Dutch  East  Indies  and  the  Far 
East.  7  he  corporation  has  brought  to  America 
the  prestige  of  the  oldest,  foremost  and  strongest 
shipping  house  in  Holland.  For  over  a  cen- 
tury the  house  of  Van  Ommeren  in  Rotterdam 
has  been  an  active  shipping  concern  with  in- 
ternational connections.  The  branches  of  the 
company,  located  in  London.  Antwerp,  Amsterdam, 
Batavia  and  other  prominent  world  ports,  have 
become  large  and  important  shipping  factors  and 
the  combination  offers  the  best  facilities  obtainable 
to  American  shippers  engaged  in  either  the  import 
or  export  trade.  It  is  not  only  as  handlers  of 
freight  that  the  corporation  has  established  itself 
in  New  York,  but  rather  to  maintain  and  enlarge 
upon  the  reputation  of  the  house  by  extending  its 
usefulness  and  facilities  and  to  act  as  agent  abroad 
for  American  manufacturers  who  are  producing 
goods  for  export  and  who  are  looking  for  the  best 
possible  outlet  for  the  same.  This,  of  course,  refers 
to  goods  of  standard  quality  only.  The  corpora- 
tion will  not  exploit  untried  mcichandise,  but, 
where  American  goods  have  found  favor  in  foreign 
markets,  the  Ph.  van  Ommeren  Corporation  it 
ready  to  become  sales  agents  for  the  manufacturer 
and  is  in  a  position  to  handle  business  into  the 
tens  of  millions. 


CORPORATION 

Although  the  American  house  has  been  estab- 
lished but  little  over  a  year,  it  has  made  wonderful 
progress.  The  personnel  of  the  office  has  growTi 
from  two  employees  to  about  thirty  in  that  period 
and  several  new  departments  have  been  added. 
These  include  a  shipping  department,  the  princi- 
pal work  of  which  is  dispatching  goods  from  New 
York  to  the  Dutch  East  Indies  and  the  Far  East. 
Shipping  to  Holland  being  prohibited  by  the 
United  States  authorities,  that  branch  of  the  serv- 
ice has  been  temporarily  discontinued.  The  cor- 
poration takes  care  of  the  shipments  of  the  Colonial 
Department  of  the  Netherlands  Government  and 
acts  in  a  similar  capacity  for  the  Batavia  Petro- 
leum Company  and  the  Royal  Dutch  Company, 
two  of  the  largest  organizations  of  their  character 
in  the  world.  This  department  is  in  charge  of 
Mr.  E.  Haarbosch,  a  Netherlander  especially 
conversant  with  all  details  of  the  Far  Eastern 
trade.  Arrangements  are  now  being  completed 
for  the  establishment  of  a  branch  house  in 
San  Francisco  in  order  to  take  better  care  of  the 
Dutch  East  India  and  Far  East  trade.  Another 
addition  to  the  corporation's  activities  is  an  Oil 
Department  under  the  supervision  of  experienced  oi! 
experts.  Through  this  branch  of  the  service  oil  is 
purchased  and  shipped  in  the  corporation's  own  ves- 
sels to  Holland.  Spain  and  other  neutral  countries. 
The  Chemical  Department,  of  which  Benjamin 
Frank  is  the  head,  was  created  to  meet  the  demand 
of  the  house's  many  foreign  connections.  Close  re- 
lations are  maintained  with  leading  American  pro- 
ducers of  drugs,  chemicals  and  pharmaceutical! 
and  there  are  available  for  the  corporation's  cus- 
tomers materials  of  the  highest  standards  of  purity 
and  strength  at  the  lowest  price.  The  necessity  of 
juch  a  department  is  shown  by  its  increased  growth 
and  activity.  All  materials  furnished  are  care- 
fully tested  before  shipment  in  order  to  insure 
the  maintenance  of  the  highest  standards  for  which 
the  Van  Ommeren  goods  are  noted.  The  Traffic 
Department,  recently  organized,  is  in  charge 
of  J.  F.  Powers.  It  looks  after  the  charter- 
ing of  vessels,  the  placing  of  insurance  and  all  the 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


303 


other  details  necessary  to  the  handhng  of  ship- 
ments, both  trans-continental  and  trans-Atlantic. 
The  Ph.  van  Ommeren  Corporation  is  justly  tak- 
ing credit  for  the  first  release  of  one  of  the  Duldi 
ships  that  have  for  months  been  tied  up  in  Ameri- 
can waters.  There  were  seventy  or  eighty  of  these, 
and  it  is  hard  to  compute  the  loss  of  earnings  from 
their  enforced  idleness.  The  Van  Ommeren  Cor- 
poration owns  four  of  these  vessels  and  the  first 
Dutch  vessel  released  is  one  of  its  fleet.  It  was 
chartered  to  carry  coal  to  South  America  and  the 
articles  of  release  stipulated  that  the  boat  return 


William  H.  Scholz 


with  freight  to  an  American  port.  The  charter  was 
arranged  in  London  vvith  the  permission  of  the  In- 
ter-Allied Chartering  Commission,  and  was  ap- 
proved by  the  United  States  Shipping  Board.  The 
commendable  activity  of  the  Van  Ommeren  Cor- 
poration attained  this  result,  which  will  be  of  great 
value  to  American  shipping  as  their  boats  are  of 
large  tonnage. 

William  H.  Scholz,  formerly  Commercial 
Adviser  at  the  United  States  Legation  in  The 
Hague,  is  the  Managing  Director  in  charge  of  the 
New  York  office  and  his  wide  experience  in  varied 
lines  of  commercial  activity  formed  the  basis  ot 
the  Holland  firm's  choice.  Mr.  Scholz  was  for  a 
time  associated  with  the  United  States  Depart- 
ment of  Commerce  under  Hon.  William  C.  Red- 
field,  Secretary  of  the  Department  in  a  business 
way,  and  it  is  due  to  this  connection  and  the  im- 
portance of  the  movement  to  strengthen  American 


trade  vvith  Holland  that  the  Federal  Government 
through  the  Commerce  Bureau  looked  with  interest 
and  favor  upon  the  extension  of  the  Van  Ommeren 
activities  to  America. 

Mr.  Scholz  is  particularly  fitted  to  handle  the 
Ph.  van  Ommeren  Corporation's  interests  here.  H« 
is  an  American  with  an  unusually  wide  foreign 
experience  along  lines  of  commerce  and  diplomacy, 
and  speaks  half  a  dozen  languages  fluently.  He 
was  born  in  Milwaukee.  Wis.,  November  9.  1872. 
and  after  a  collegiate  education  became  secretary 
to  the  actuary  of  a  leading  western  life  insurance 
company,  afterward  becoming  foreign  correspond- 
ent of  the  Wisconsin  National  Bank,  which  was 
followed  by  a  position  in  the  United  States 
Treasury  Department.  In  1902  he  was  sent  to 
Manila  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture  in  con- 
junction with  Professor  F.  Lanson-Scribncr  to  or- 
ganize the  Philippine  Bureau  of  Agriculture,  and 
acted  as  its  chief  clerk  and  disbursing  officer  until 
1904.  when  he  became  identified  with  the  Lake 
Torpedo  Boat  Company  of  Bridgeport.  Conn.,  as 
confidential  secretary  to  Simon  Lake,  president  of 
the  company  and  widely  known  inventor.  He 
went  to  Petrograd.  Berlin  and  London  with  Mr. 
Lake,  living  two  years  in  each  of  the  three  cities, 
and  aided  in  building  a  number  of  submarines  for 
Russia  at  Kronstadt. 

The  foreign  business  of  the  Lake  company  was 
discontinued  in  1912  and  Mr.  Scholz  became 
manager  of  the  cable  and  foreign  department  of 
L.  Vogelstein,  New  York  City,  a  large  metal  house 
of  international  scope.  He  remained  with  the 
house  until  December,  1914,  resigning  then  to 
take  up  the  duties  of  commercial  adviser  to  the 
.American  Embassy  in  Berlin. 

This  wide  experience,  coupled  with  Mr. 
Scholz's  executive  ability,  eminently  fits  him  for 
his  present  connection  and  in  a  great  measure  ac- 
counts for  the  Ph.  van  Ommeren  Corporation's 
wonderful  success  in  the  American  field.  In  its 
ultimate  scope  the  American  corporation  can  en- 
gage in  shipping  as  either  charterers  or  as  owners 
of  ships  and  can  offer  the  greatest  latitude  to 
shippers  in  the  matter  of  rates  and  terms  of  sale. 
Its  banking  connections  in  New  York  are  with 
such  prominent  financial  institutions  as  Brown 
Brothers,  the  Equitable  Trust,  the  Guaranty  Trust, 
and  the  National  City  Bank  and  in  pursuance  of 
the  home  office  policy  all  transactions  are  done 
upon  a  cash  basis  only. 

It  will  be  a  matter  of  universal  interest  to  ex» 
porting  manufacturers  to  know  that  the  Rotterdam 
home  corporation  has  established  a  commercial 
subsidiary  in  Holland  for  taking  over  agencies 
and  handling  products  of  American  manufacturers. 
This  goes  to  show  the  scope  of  the  house  of  Van 
Ommeren.  The  Rotterdam  office  acts  in  unison 
vvith,  and  will  supplement  the  activities  of,  the 
New  York  offices. 


304 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


STEPHANIDIS,  BENAS  &  CO. 


Stephen  D.  Stephanidis 


Organized  in  February,  1916,  the  firm  of 
Stephanidis,  Benas  &  Co.  has  already  acquired 
an  enviable  reputation  in  steamship  circles.  The 
firm  controls  the  Vigo  Steamship  Company, 
'which  operates  between  New  York  City  and 
Italian  ports.  They  are  managing  agents  of  thi? 
company,  of  which  they  are  the  largest  stock- 
holders, and  also  act  as  ship,  freight  and  insur- 
ance brokers  for  outside  interests,  chartering  and 
selling  bottoms  for  the  transatlantic  trade  and  in- 
suring tonnage  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  Steph- 
anidis,   Benas    &    Co.    were    owners    of  the 


steamship  Algonquin  which  was  destroyed  by  a 
submarine  in  Germany's  ruthless  warfare  on  neu- 
tral shipping  and  it  was  the  destruction  of  this 
vessel  that  undoubtedly  led  to  the  declaration  of 
war  by  the  United  States.  After  the  destruction 
of  the  "Algonquin"  the  steamship  "Vigo"  was 
purchased,  the  line  which  the  firm  controls  taking 
its  name  from  this  vessel.  As  soon  as  normal 
conditions  are  re-established  in  Greece,  it  is  the 
intention  of  the  firm  to  run  a  regular  line  of 
steamers  to  that  country. 

Stephen  D.  Stephanidis.  senior  member  of  the 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


305 


John  M.  Benas 


firm,  is  a  Greek  by  birth  and  a  naturalized  Ameri- 
can citizen.  He  is  descended  from  one  of  the 
oldest  Grecian  families,  his  great-grandfather  fig- 
uring prominently  in  the  Revolution  of  1  82  I .  He 
was  educated  at  Robert  College,  an  American 
institution  located  in  Constantinople,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1905.  He  came  to  New  York 
two  years  later  where  his  first  employment  was  as 
night  librarian  at  the  Twenty-third  Street  branch 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  studying  at  the  City  College 
during  the  daytime.  He  afterwards  attended  New 
York  University  with  the  idea  of  adopting  law 


as  a  profession  but  discontinued  the  course  to  take 
up  commercial  pursuits.  He  entered  the  railroad 
business  as  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  the  Trunk  Line 
Association  where  he  gained  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  that  branch  of  public  service  and  rose  to  the 
position  of  assistant  to  the  Immigrant  Agent.  His 
experience  in  the  steamship  line  was  obtained  while 
acting  as  representative  for  the  Greek  Line  at  Ellis 
Island.  He  filled  these  two  positions  at  the  same 
time  and  resigned  them  to  establish  the  present 
business. 

John  M.  Benas  was  born  in  Greece  in  1885 


306 


NEW    YORK    OLD    a\ND  NEW 


and  was  educated  in  Syria  and  at  the  Greek  Lni 
varsity  of  Athens.  He  also  comes  from  an  old 
and  well-known  Grecian  family  all  of  whom  were 
shipowners  with  the  exception  of  one  relative  who 
devoted  himself  to  linguistic  work  and  was  the 
creator  of  the  modern  Greek  language.  Mr. 
Benas  came  to  New  York  City  in  1913  and  was 
engaged  in  commercial  lines  until  1916.  when  he 
joined  Mr.  Stephanidis  in  the  formation  of  the 
present  firm. 

The  firm  has  been  remarkably  successful,  owing 
to  Mr.  Stephanidis'  knowledge  and  Mr.  Benas' 
quick  grasp  of  conditions  and  it  now  employs  a 
large  clerical  force  and  occupies  an  extensive  suite 
of  offices  at  24  State  Street.  They  represent 
fully  fifty  per  cent  of  the  Greek  shipping  and  act 
as  agents  for  many  individual  steamship  owners. 
Both  Mr.  Stephanidis  and  Mr.  Benas  predict  a 
great  future  for  the  maritime  activities  of  this  port 
and  while  their  business  had  steadily  increased  since 
the  organization  of  the  firm,  they  expect  it  to 
reach  maximum  proportions  after  the  declaration 
of  peace  has  stopped  ocean  depredations. 


From   an    Old  Drawing 


LLOYD  BRAZILIERO 

The  Lloyd  Braziliero,  a  steamship  line  owned 
and  operated  by  the  Federal  Government  of  Bra- 
zil, is  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in  the 
South  American  trade.  The  line  was  originally 
owned  by  private  interests,  heavily  subsidized  by 
the  Brazilian  Government,  and  in  1913  was  tak- 
en over  by  the  government  to  be  operated  under 
the  supervision  of  the  Minister  of  Finance.  The 


head  office  ol  the  service  is  in  Rio  de  Janeiro. 
It  consists  of  about  sixty  steamers,  mostly  coast- 
wise, which  touch  all  the  important  points  between 
Rio  de  Jeneiro  and  Manos,  a  city  located  1 ,000 
miles  up  the  Amazon  River.  This  is  known  as 
the  North  Coast  Line  and  is  one  of  the  most 
prominent  of  the  various  lines  operated.  The 
South  Line  operates  between  Rio  de  Janeiro  and 
the  River  Plate  and  the  steamers  of  both  lines 
carry  large  cargoes  of  such  goods  as  inter-locality 
points  trade  in.  The  American  service  between 
New  York  and  the  principal  Brazilian  ports  was 
inaugurated  in  1 906,  and  it  has  largely  in- 
creased trade  between  the  United  States  and 
South  America.  After  the  outbreak  of  the  Eu- 
ropean war  Brazil's  neutrality  resulted  in  an  in- 
flux of  business  to  the  line  as  shippers  could  on 
this  account  secure  lower  insurance  rates  on  car- 
goes and  the  line  carried  about  40  per  cent  of 
the  tonnage  to  that  country.  Since  the  severance 
of  diplomatic  relations  with  Germany  this  has  been 
slightly  reduced,  but  the  line  is  still  carrying  on 
a  successful  business  as  the  government's  interest 
in  the  lines  assures  complete  service.  The  New 
York  service  includes  both  freight  and  passenger 
transportation  and  the  former  will  be  largely  add- 
ed to  as  soon  as  the  necessary  tonnage  can  be 
secured. 

There  are  at  present  ten  steamers  engaged  in 
the  line  operating  between  New  York  and  Bra- 
zil and  there  are  three  departing  and  three  arriv- 
ing steamers  each  month.  The  reputation  of 
Lloyd  Braziliero  is  such  that  it  enjoys  the  patron- 
age of  the  most  prominent  of  the  exporters  of 
New  York  City  and  the  country  at  large.  These 
recognize  that  a  line,  operated  in  the  interest  of 
a  country  under  government  supervision,  will  ren- 
der more  efficient  service  than  one  controlled  by 
private  interests  and  that  every  effort  will  be  made 
by  the  power  of  that  government  to  reduce  sea 
depredations  to  a  minimum.  Captain  D.  Willing- 
ton,  a  practical  ocean  transportation  man,  is  the 
New  York  representative  of  the  company.  He 
has  been  connected  with  the  line  for  about  thirty 
years,  which  were  mostly  spent  as  commandant 
of  some  of  the  company's  largest  steamships.  When 
he  was  finally  transferred  to  New  York  as  the 
line's  representative,  he  brought  with  him  a 
knowledge  of  localities  and  general  steamship 
work  that  has  been  of  inestimable  value  to  the 
large  number  of  shippers  to  South  American  ports. 
Capt.  Willington  is  always  at  the  service  of  the 
shipping  public  and  is  in  a  position  to  give  use- 
ful advice  to  those  who  are  seeking  the  most  di- 
rect outlet  for  their  products. 

The  line  issues  through  bills  of  lading  to  all 
Brazil  coast,  Uruguay,  Argentine  and  Paraguay 
ports.  The  offices  of  Lloyd  Braziliero  are  lo- 
cated at  44  Whitehall  Street  and  the  loading 
berth  is  at  Pier  5,  Bush  Docks,  South  Brooklyn. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND    NEW  307 


GASTON.  WILLIAMS  &  WIGMORE  STEAMSHIP  CORPORATION 


The  Gaston,  Williams  &  Wigmore  Steamship 
Corporation,  chartered  in  Delaware.  February  28. 
1916.  has  recently  added  several  more  ships  to 
its  service,  making  a  total  of  nine  now  engaged  in 
the  foreign  trade.  This  company,  which  operates 
under  the  name  of  the  GLOBE  LINE,  maintains 
regular  sailings  to  Archangel,  Lisbon  and  Bordeaux 
and  is  playing  an  important  part  in  the  re-establish- 
ment of  the  American  merchant  marine. 

The  Archangel  service  was  inaugurated  in  May 
of  this  year  when  the  S.  S.  "Lord  Dufferin"  sailed 


J.  B.  Austin,  Jr.,  Manager 


from  New  York  for  that  port  with  a  general  cargo. 
She  was  followed  by  other  steamers  of  the  line  at 
regular  intervals  during  the  summer  and  while  this 
service  is  discontinued  during  the  winter  months,  it 
will  be  resumed  with  the  opening  of  navigation  in 
the  White  Sea  next  spring. 

Regular  sailings  to  Bordeaux  were  established 
when  the  S.  S.  "Vigilancia"  sailed  from  New 
York  for  Bordeaux  with  a  cargo  of  tobacco  and 
steel.  The  "Vigilancia"  has  been  kept  in  this 
service  all  summer. 


The  S.  S.  "Berit"  opened  the  Lisbon  service 
during  the  month  of  July.  Regular  sailings  to 
that  point  have  been  maintained  ever  since. 

Sailings  are  also  made  to  South  America  and 
West  Indian  ports  and  to  Rotterdam. 

Two  schooners  flying  the  GLOBE  LINE  ensign 
are  employed  mostly  in  coal,  logwood  and  mahog- 
any trade  to  the  West  Indies  and  Africa. 

The  GLOBE  LINE  is  contemplating  the  pur- 
chase of  other  ships  and  has  several  steamers  and 
auxiliary  power  schooners  under  contract  for  early 
completion  and  delivery.  When  the  new  vessels 
are  ready  for  service,  regular  sailings  will  probably 
be  established  to  South  African  and  South  .Ameri- 
can ports  and  also  to  the  Orient. 

The  President  of  the  company,  George  A.  Gas- 
ton, has  been  closely  identified  with  the  American 
shipping  interests  for  many  years.  James  A.  Wig- 
more,  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents,  is  Vice-President 
of  the  Gaston,  Williams  &  Wigmore,  Inc.,  and 
affiliated  companies.  William  H.  Williams, 
Treasurer,  is  interested  in  many  Long  Island  fi- 
nancial, realty  and  industrial  enterprises  and  also  in 
a  number  of  transportation  companies.  The  other 
Vice-Presidents  are  M.  J.  Budlong,  who  is  also 
one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  Gaston,  Williams  & 
Wigmore,  Inc.,  and  J.  B.  Austin,  Jr.,  who  is  also 
General  Manager  of  the  Line.  Mr.  Austin  has 
been  closely  identified  with  tlie  transportation  bus- 
iness for  many  years.  R.  H.  Lee  Martin  is 
Secretary. 

At  present  the  office  forces  of  Gaston,  Williams 
&  Wigmore,  Inc.,  occupy  space  in  the  Equitable 
Building  and  the  Singer  Building,  while  the 
GLOBE  LINE  is  domiciled  in  a  spacious  build- 
ing at  20  Pearl  Street.  The  company  is  now 
erecting  a  new  six-story  building  at  35,  37  and 
39  Broadway  and  upon  its  completion  the  various 
interests  of  the  organization  will  be  grouped  there. 
The  general  front  of  the  new  building  will  have 
a  strong  base  course  with  two  monumental  columns 
and  two  monumental  pilasters  at  each  end — 47 
feet  high  in  the  clear  from  base  to  cap,  and  ap- 
proximately five  feet  in  diameter.  This  will  make 
the  facade  one  of  the  most  imposing  and  dignified 
among  all  buildings  that  exist  in  this  section  of 
most  handsome  structures.  In  addition  to  its  im- 
pressive exterior  appearance,  the  building  has  the 
advantage  of  maximum  natural  light  on  the  interior. 


308 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


HASLER  BROTHERS,  INC. 


Frederick  E.  Hasler 

President  of  Hasler   Brothers,  Incorporated 


One  of  the  most  prominent  and  successful  or- 
ganizations engaged  in  the  shipping  business  at  the 
port  of  New  York  is  that  of  Hasler  Brothers, 
Inc.,  whose  interest  in  world  democracy  is  attested 
by  five  enlistments  from  its  office — two  of  which 
are  officers  of  the  corporation  now  serving  as 
lieutenants  with  the  overseas  armies.  The  busi 
ness  of  Hasler  Brothers,  Inc.,  was  established  in 
1909,  as  Hasler,  Leitch  &  Co.,  the  organizers 
of  the  firm  being  Frederick  E.  Hasler,  T.  B. 
Hasler  and  John  D.   Leitch.     Upon  incorpora- 


tion, January  6,  1915,  Frederick  E.  Hasler  be- 
came President;  James  McFarlane,  Vice-Presi- 
dent; Thomas  B.  Hasler,  Treasurer,  and  R- 
Taylor,  Secretary.  The  stockholders  of  the  com- 
pany include  the  President,  Vice-President,  Treas- 
urer and  R.  T.  Hasler.  The  company  and  its 
subsidiaries  has  capital  and  assets  of  over  $1,000,- 
000  and  its  trade  territory  embraces  the  West 
Indies,  Cuba,  Central  America,  Mexico  and  the 
United  States.  The  business  is  that  of  ship- 
owners and  brokers  and  in  this  capacity  the  can- 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


309 


Thomas  B.  Hasler 

;r  ot   Haslcr  B.others.  Incorporated 


cern  has  an  annual  turnover  of  about  $2,000,- 
000.  American  and  British  employees  constitute 
the  personnel  of  the  office. 

Frederick  E.  Hasler,  President  of  the  com- 
pany, was  born  in  Wethersfield,  England,  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1882,  and  began  his  active  business 
career  with  the  ship  brokerage  firm  of  J.  Bell  & 
Co.,  London,  England,  in  1898.  He  came  to 
New  York  City  in  December,  I  90 1 ,  and  entered 
the  employ  of  Daniel  Dacon,  of  Havana  and  New 
York,  in  1902.  The  following  year  he  became 
associated  with  the  firm  of  J.  H.  Winchester  & 


Co.,  New  \  ark  City,  where  he  remained  until 
June,  1905.  In  1906  he  was  made  Assistant 
Manager  of  the  American  Smelters  Steamship 
Company,  continuing  in  this  position  until  August, 
1 908.  when  he  became  assistant  to  the  president 
of  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Coal  &  Coke  Co.  He 
resigned  this  position  in  September,  1 909,  to  aid 
in  the  organization  of  Hasler,  Leitch  &  Co.,  where 
his  wide  experience  in  every  branch  of  transporta- 
tion and  shipping  was  of  inestimable  value.  In 
addition  to  his  interest  in  Hasler  Brothers,  Inc., 
Mr.   Hasler  is  President  of  the  Inter-American 


310 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


Steamship  Company  ol  New  ^  oik  City;  V  ice- 
President  of  the  Inter-American  Steamship  Com- 
pany, Ltd.,  of  Toronto,  Canada;  Vice-President 
of  Robert  Hasler  &  Co.,  Inc..  of  Norfolk,  Vir- 
ginia, and  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Morris  &  Has- 
ler, of  Havana,  Cuba,  ^vho  own  sugar  plantations 
and  cattle  ranches  in  Camaguey,  Cuba.  He  is  also 


James  McFarlane 

Vice-President  of  Hasler  Brothers.  Incorporated 


a  Director  in  the  Lone  Star  Shipbuilding  Com- 
pany of  Beaumont,  Texas,  and  Treasurer  of  the 
Powhattan  Steamship  Company  of  Norfolk,  Vir- 
ginia. He  resides  on  Rumson  Road,  Little  Silver, 
New  Jersey. 

James  McFarlane,  Vice-President  of  the  com- 
pany, was  born  in  Sunderland,  England,  in  1884. 
His  first  employment  was  with  Mail  Brothers, 
shipowners,  in  Sunderland,  with  whom  he  became 
associated  in  1  900.  From  there  he  went  with  the 
firm  of  Fearnley  &  Eger,  who  were  shipovvner« 
and  brokers  of  Christiania,  Norway,  and  remained 
with  that  concern  from  1904  until  1906.  At  this 
period  he  became  connected  with  the  Standard 
Oil  Company,  Rotterdam,  continuing  in  the  posi- 
tion until  1909,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Duncan  Stewart  &  Co.,  Glasgow.  Scotland.  He 
came  to  America  the  same  year  and  in  February, 
1910,  entered  the  firm  of  Hasler,  Leitch  &  Co.. 
to  which,  like  Mr.  Hasler,  he  brought  a  large 
experience  that  has  materially  added  to  the  com- 


jiany's  suci  ess.  Mr.  McFarlane  joined  the  British 
.Army  in  February,  1916,  and  is  now  a  Lieuten- 
ant in  the  Royal  Field  Artillery,  British  Expedi- 
tionary Force  in  France. 

1  homas  B.  Hasler,  I  reasurer  of  the  concern, 
was  born  in  Wethersfield,  England,  November  9, 
1879,  and  was  educated  in  the  country  of  his 
birth.  After  leaving  school  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Simpson.  Spence  &  Young,  London,  England, 
in  1897,  and  came  to  New  York  City  in  Jan- 
uary, 1 899,  as  an  employee  of  that  firm.  He 
severed  this  connection  July  1,  1909,  to  enter  the 
firm  of  FJasler,  Leitch  &  Co.,  and  was  elected 
Treasurer  of  Flasler  Brothers,  Inc.,  when  the  re- 
organization and  incorporation  of  the  business  took 
place.  Mr.  Hasler  is  now  a  Lieutenant  in  the 
United  States  Naval  Reserve,  having  enlisted  foi 
the  duration  ot  the  war.  His  home  address  is 
"The  Maples",  Little  Silver,  New  Jersey. 

Robert  Tabor  Hasler  is  interested  in  the  cor- 
poration but  occupies  no  official  position  beyond 
that  of  a  Director.  He  was  born  in  i  ollesburv, 
England,   October   27,    1891.      He   also  began 


Robert  T.  Hasler 

Hasler   Brothers,  Incorporated 


his  active  business  career  with  Simpson,  Spence  & 
Young  in  London  in  1907  and  came  to  New 
York  City  in  September,  1908.  He  was  em- 
ployed by  the  United  Coal  Co.,  New  York  City, 
from  the  time  of  his  arrival  until  July,  1909. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


311 


From  July.  1909,  until  December  of  the  same 
year  he  was  with  the  Chesapeake  &  Ohio  Coal 
&  Coke  Co..  at  Newport  News  and  Norfolk  and 
then  joined  Hasler,  Leitch  &  Co.,  at  the  Norfolk 
office  of  the  firm  where  he  remained  until  May, 
1914,  when  he  became  a  stockholder  of  Hasler 
Brothers,  Inc.,  and  the  Norfolk  representative  of 
the  corporation.  In  January,  1917,  he  became 
interested  in  Robert  Hasler  &  Company,  Inc.,  one 
of  the  largest  coal  bunkermg  and  shippmg  com- 
panies in  Norfolk.  This  is  a  subsidiary  of  Hasler 
Brothers,  Inc.,  of  which  Robert  T.  Hasler  is 
President. 

Although  Hasler  Brothers,  Inc.,  is  a  compara- 
tively new  concern,  its  ramifications  are  such  that 
its  business  extends  to  the  principal  ports  of  this 
and  many  of  the  Latin-American  countries.  The 
company's  tonnage  to  the  West  Indies  has  run 
as  high  as  150,000  and  in  normal  times  it  will 
average  as  high  as  50,000  to  60,000  tons,  con- 
sisting of  everything  intended  for  export  trade  that 
is  manufactured  in  the  United  States.  The 
cargoes  of  returning  steamers  consist  of  the  various 
products  of  the  countries  reached  by  the  service. 
The  offices  of  the  company  are  in  the  Produce 
Exchange. 


THE  NAFRA  COMPANY 
The  changed  conditions  of  commercial  Europe 
have  opened  up  possibilities  for  American  prod- 
ucts unthought  of  a  decade  ago.  At  that  time 
Germany,  which  had  for  half  a  century  mad;? 
almost  unbelievable  progress  in  the  arts  and  manu- 
factures, almost  dominated  the  markets  of  Europe 
and  the  Far  East.  To-day  there  are  but  few  of 
the  countries  of  Europe  and  Asia  that  have  kindly 
feelings  for  Germany  and  in  consequence  there  is 
an  embargo  on  trade  with  that  Empire.  With 
all  the  industrial  nations  at  war  there  was  no  place 
to  turn  but  America,  and  up  to  the  time  of  its 
entrance  into  the  world-war  this  country  had  been 
greatly  benefited  by  the  increase  of  foreign  trade. 
This  will  dorubtless  continue  as  the  United  State? 
is  too  resourceful  to  be  permanently  crippled  by 
the  stand  it  has  taken  for  the  democracy  of  the 
world. 

Among  those  who  were  far-seeing  enough  to 
realize  what  America's  part  in  the  rehabilitation 
of  the  world's  commerce  would  be  was  the  coterie 
of  gentlemen  who  in  November,  1914.  organized 
The  Nafra  Company,  with  E.  P.  Earle  as  Chair- 
man of  the  Board  and  J.  Mercadante.  who  had 
been  in  the  importing  and  exporting  business  for 


several  years,  as  President.  The  company  was 
formed  to  carry  on  an  importing  and  exporting 
business,  and  to  operate  a  steamship  line  between 
Baltimore  and  New  York  and  Genoa,  Italy.  In 
pursuance  of  this  policy  the  company  recently 
purchased  three  steamers  of  10,000  tons  burden. 
These  boats  are  all  of  American  registry,  it  being 
a  part  of  the  company's  plan  to  help  rebuild  the 
American  merchant  marine.  Negotiations  are 
pending  for  three  ofther  steamships  of  like  tonnage 
and  registry,  and  with  this  equipment  the  com- 
pany will  be  able  to  considerably  increase  its 
already  large  business,  which  now  amounts  to 
$5,000,000  per  month.  In  its  export  business 
The  Nafra  Company  makes  large  shipments  ot 
metals  and  heavy  chemicals  and  its  imports  consist 
mainly  of  dyestuffs.  The  main  office  is  at  120 
Broadway.  New  York  City,  with  branches  in 
Milan  and  a  half  dozen  other  commercial  centers 
of  Italy.  The  Nafra  Company  also  manufactures 
the  Nafra  Warning  Signal,  a  mechanical  device 
for  automobiles  intended  to  prevent  rear  end  col- 
lisions. 

The  moment  that  you  apply  your  brake,  tc 
stop  or  slow  down  or  turn,  the  Nafra  waves  a 
red  disc  by  day,  a  red  light  by  night,  that  warns 
the  driver  behind  to  get  under  control  at  once. 
The  signal  proper  is  a  brilliant  red  disc  carrying 
in  its  center  a  tiny  electric  lamp  that  shows  red 
when  lighted.  The  disc  is  on  a  flexible  arm  and 
the  arm  is  mounted  on  a  pivoted  drum  so  that  it 
can  swing  from  horizontal  to  vertical.  A  steel 
cord  inside  a  flexible  steel  tube  runs  from  the 
drum  to  a  bracket  beneath  the  car.  From  this 
bracket  a  rod  leads  to  the  foot  brake  lever.  With 
the  brakes  off,  the  signal  disc  lies  down  behind 
your  license  plate  on  a  cushion  that  prevents 
rattling.  When  the  brake  is  applied  it  pulls  the 
cord  leading  to  the  drum  and  the  arm  and  disc 
appear,  the  disc  on  the  flexible  arm  keeping  it 
waving  back  and  forth  above  the  license  plate.  It 
can  be  attached  to  the  car  in  a  short  time  at  any 
convenient  place  on  the  rear  of  the  car.  Rear 
signals  designed  to  perform  a  number  of  different 
functions  require  thought  and  effort  on  the  part  of 
the  driver  to  make  them  operative.  In  the  stress 
of  excitement  they  may  not  be  manipulated  right  or 
quickly  enough.  The  Nafra  needs  no  thought. 
It  works  automatically  every  time  you  apply  the 
brake  to  slow  down,  turn  or  stop. 


312 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


CHRISTOFFER  HANNEVIG 
After  a  successful  career  in  the  maritime  affairs 
of  the  Scandinavian  countries,  Christoffer  Han- 
nevig,  head  of  the  firm  of  Christoffer  Han- 
nevig,  Inc.,  of  Christiania,  Norway,  came  to  New 
York  in  1915  to  establish  a  business  to  work  in 
conjunction  with  his  Christiania  office.  He  formed 
the  firm  of  Hannevig  &  Johnsen,  to  conduct  a  ship- 
brokerage  business,  but  this  connection  afforded 
little  opportunity  for  his  energies  and  he  retired 
from  the  firm  to  organize  Christoffer  Hannevig, 
Inc.,  with  offices  at  1 39  Broadway,  where  the 
corporation  occupies  an  entire  bankmg  edifice.  Mr. 


Hannevig  is  President  of  this  company,  Finn 
Hannevig,  Vice-President,  with  R.  J.  BuUowa 
as  Treasurer  and  J.  B.  Simpson,  Secretary.  The 
corporation  represents  the  Baltimore  &  South 
American  Navigation  Company  and  other  steam- 
ship lines  and  contemplates  the  extension  of 
its  service  from  New  York  to  the  West  Indies 
and  New  York  to  Liverpool.  For  this  service  two 
4.000  ton  steamships  now  building  in  the  Pusey 
&  Jones  yards,  Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  two 
3,500  tonners  being  built  on  the  Great  Lakes, 
will  be  used  by  the  line  to  the  West  Indies.  For 
the   Liverpool   service   four   steamships   of  from 


7,500  to  12,500  tons  are  bemg  built  by  the 
Pennsylvania  Shipbuilding  Company,  Gloucester, 
N.  J.  Mr.  Hannevig,  although  but  thirty-four  years 
of  age,  has,  despite  his  short  residence  in  this  country 
and  his  previous  inexperience  with  American 
methods,  become  an  important  figure  not  only  in 
ocean  transportation  but  in  shipbuilding  and  fi- 
nancial affairs  in  various  parts  of  the  country.  He 
is  President  of  the  Pusey  &  Jones  Company,  of 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  one  of  the  oldest  concerns 
engaged  in  shipbuilding  in  this  country  and  is  the 
controlling  owner  of  the  Pennsylvania  Shipbuilding 
Company;  the  New  Jersey  Shipbuilding  Com- 
pany, both  located  on  the  Delaware  River  at 
Gloucester,  New  Jersey,  and  the  Newfoundland 
Shipbuilding  Company,  Ltd.,  located  at  Harbor 
Grace,  N.  F.  He  is  also  interested  in  the  Thar 
Iron  Works,  Ltd.,  of  Toronto,  Ontario,  Canada, 
Dominion  Shipbuilding  Co.,  also  of  Toronto, 
and  several  other  enterprises  of  a  like  character. 
Mr.  Hannevig  still  retains  his  interest  in  the  house 
of  Christoffer  Hannevig,  Inc.,  of  Christiania,  Nor- 
way, and  divides  his  time  between  his  American 
and  Scandinavian  interests.  He  also  maintains 
offices  in  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  London,  Eng- 
land, and  Petrograd,  Russia.  Mr.  Hannevig, 
who  recently  returned  from  Norway,  brought  with 
him  commissions  for  the  placing  of  tonnage  orders 
that  will  run  into  millions  of  dollars. 


HANNEVIG  SHIPPING  COMPANY 
The  Hannevig  Shipping  Company,  organized  in 
1916,  acts  as  broker  in  the  sale,  purchase  and 
chartering  of  steamships  and  sailing  vessels  and  the 
present  demand  for  bottoms  for  outgoing  tonnage 
has  made  the  business  a  success  from  the  time  of 
its  establishment.  Finn  Hannevig,  the  Manager 
of  the  company,  is  a  Norwegian  and  was  born 
March  1  6,  1 889.  He  received  his  education  in 
the  country  of  his  birth  and  after  leaving  school 
familiarized  himself  with  the  shipping  business  by 
association  with  maritime  firms  in  London,  Petro- 
grad and  Christiania,  Norway.  He  came  to 
America  in  1910  and  since  that  time  has  been 
associated  with  the  Hannevig  interests  of  which 
his  brother,  Christoffer  Hannevig,  is  the  head,  the 
other  associate  being  Edward  Hannevig.  The 
offices  of  the  company  are  at  1  39  Broadway. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


313 


CAPT.  J.  W.  McGRATH 


Long  experience  as  master  of  vessels  sailing  from 
various  American  ports  has  given  Capt.  J.  W. 
McGrath  a  knowledge  that  is  invaluable  to  him 
as  Secretary  and  General  Manager  of  the  Over- 
seas Shipping  Corporation,  of  27  William  Street. 
This  organization  is  engaged  in  stevedoring  and 
has  a  branch  in  Baltimore.  Capt.  McGrath  was 
born  in  Newfoundland  and  went  to  sea  when 
sixteen  years  old.     He  rose  to  the  position  of 


master,  but  quit  the  sea  to  engage  in  his  present 
line  of  busmess. 

In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  Overseas 
Shipping  Company,  Capt.  J.  W.  McGrath  is 
Superintendent  of  the  American  and  Cuban  Steam- 
ship Line  and  the  United  States  and  Brazil  Steam- 
ship Line,  which  have  many  steamers  in  the  service 
between  New  York  and  the  Latin-American 
countries. 


314 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


GEORGE  W.  F.  GREEN 


Possessing  the  initiative  and  progressiveness  ol 
the  Texas  bred  man,  George  W.  F.  Green  soon 
created  a  place  for  himself  in  the  business  hfe  of 
New  York,  since  his  arrival  here  one  year  ago. 
He  was  born  in  Opelika,  Alabama,  December  I  2, 

1888,  and,  removing  to  Texas  in  early  boyhood, 
was  educated  at  the  Baylor  University,  Waco, 
and  the  University  of  Texas.  Determining  to 
adopt  law  as  a  profession,  he  took  up  the  study 
with  such  earnestness  and  close  application  that  he 
passed  the  necessary  examination  and  was  awarded 
a  license  to  practice  in  1912.  He  immediately 
became  associated  with  the  law  firm  of  Garden, 
Starling,  Garden,  Hemphill  &  Wallace,  of  Dallas, 
Texas,  and  for  two  years  continued  practice  in 
that  city.  Becoming  dissatisfied  with  law  he  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  and  bond  business  in  Dallas 
and  finally  retired  from  this  in  1916  to  remove 
to  New  York  City.  Mr.  Green  is  a  member  of 
the  Dallas  Country  Club,  the  Masonic  and  Alpha 
Tau  fraternities  and  is  President  of  the  Maritime 

1  ransportation  Company. 

This  company  was  organized  in  1916  after  Mr. 
Green  had  become  thoroughly  conversant  with 
shipping  interests  and  had  come  to  realize  the 
possibilities  in  that  business.     Vessels  were  rapidly 


acquired  to  meet  the  demand  of  the  new  company's 
growing  business  until  it  chartered  or  owns  and 
has  charge  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  ships,  in  which 
Mr.  Green  is  personally  interested.  These  are 
sent  by  the  company  to  any  port  in  the  world  and 
despite  the  fact  that  the  submarine  is  a  constant 
menace  to  the  boats,  three  or  four  of  which  have 
been  destroyed,  the  company  has  made  money  as 
in  all  instances  the  ships  were  insured,  although  the 
rates  were  very  high.  While  the  United  States 
was  neutr.al  the  Lyman  N.  Law,  a  large  four- 
masted  schooner  of  which  Mr.  Green  was  part 
owner  and  agent,  was  destroyed  by  an  Austrian 
submarine.  The  cargo  carried  was  box  shooks, 
which  under  no  stretch  of  imagination  could  be 
construed  into  contraband.  In  addition  the  boat 
was  not  equipped  with  wireless  and  had  large 
American  flags  painted  on  the  sides  both  fore 
and  aft.  Under  Mr.  Green's  management  the 
Maritime  Transportation  Company  has  in  one  year 
become  a  factor  in  shipping.  Despite  the  loss  of 
some  of  its  boats  it  has  been  highly  successful  in 
shipping  cargoes  through  the  danger  zones  and  in 
consequence  has  no  trouble  in  making  charters  at 
paying  rates.  The  offices  of  the  company  arc  at 
25   Beaver  Street. 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


315 


VIDKUNN  JOHNSEN 


Vidkunn  Johnsen,  head  of  V.  Johnsen  Co., 
Inc.,  25  Beaver  Street,  has  been  only  nine  years 
in  this  country,  but  in  that  brief  time  has  become 
prominent  in  the  shipping  world  and  part  owner  in 
a  large  shipbuilding  plant.  Mr.  Johnsen  was 
born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  June  1 8,  1 883,  and 
in  1898  graduated  from  one  of  the  leading  in- 
stitutes of  learning  in  his  native  city.  The  same 
year  he  was  given  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  one 
of  the  largest  steamship  owners  and  brokers  in 
Bergen  and  began  a  business  career  that  has  been 
marked  by  eminent  success.  He  came  to  America 
in  February,  1909,  and  supplemented  his  foreign 
training  in  the  shipping  business  by  association  with 
two  of  the  most  prominent  brokers  in  New  York 
City.  In  July,  1915,  he  associated  with  Chris- 
toffer  Hannevig,  in  the  formation  of  the  firm  of 
Hannevig  &  Johnsen,  which  opened  offices  in  the 
Maritime  Exchange  Building,  80  Broad  Street. 
The  business  grew  to  large  proportions  under  the 
direction  of  these  energetic  young  men  and  on 
June  1,  1916,  it  was  incorporated  and  larger 
quarters  secured  at  25  Beaver  Street.  Mr.  Han- 
nevig retired  from  the  firm  in  April,  1917,  and 
Mr.  Johnsen  continued  the  business  at  the  same 
address  under  the  name  of  V.  Johnsen  Co.,  Inc. 


The  V.  Johnsen  Co.,  Inc.,  act  as  ship  and 
steamship  brokers  and  charter  every  variety  of  ves- 
sel to  any  point  in  the  world.  Mr.  Johnsen  was 
one  of  the  pioneers  in  this  country  in  placing  or- 
ders for  steamers  with  American  shipbuilders  for 
foreign  account.  He  is  endowed  with  wonderful  en- 
ergy and  to  this  characteristic  much  of  his  success  is 
due.  He  is  also  possessed  of  a  marked  person- 
ality which  quickly  won  the  confidence  of  shipping 
men  and  this  has  been  held  by  strictly  honest 
business  methods  and  an  ability  to  render  efficient 
service  to  shippers.  The  rapid  growth  of  the 
business  is  shown  by  the  unprecedented  record  es- 
tablished by  the  selling  of  sixty  per  cent,  of  the 
tonnage  contracted  for  in  this  country  and  Canada 
to  Norwegian  ports.  On  June  30,  1916,  a  testi- 
monial dinner  was  tendered  Mr.  Johnsen  at  Rec- 
tor's and  among  the  guests  were  some  of  the  most 
prominent  shipping  men  of  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia, Savannah  and  Bergen,  Norway.  The 
speakers  paid  high  tribute  to  Mr.  Johnsen's  busi- 
ness integrity. 

In  addition  to  the  Presidency  of  V.  Johnsen 
Co.,  Inc.,  Mr.  Johnsen  is  Treasurer,  Secretary 
and  half  owner  of  the  Delaware  Shipbuilding 
Company,  which  is  located  at  Seaford,  Delaware. 


316 


NEIV    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


JULIO  L.  FORBEb 
Julio  L.  Forbes,  Vice-iPresident,  General  Man- 
ager and  Director  of  the  Ocean  Transportation 
Corporation,  who  is  descended  from  one  of  the 
oldest  and  most  distmguished  families  in  Spain,  was 
born  in  Gibraltar,  July  2,  1885,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  England.  He  came  to  New  York  City 
in  1903  and  his  knowledge  of  the  trans-Atlantic 
freight  service  was  gained  through  his  association 
with  the  Spanish  Steamship  Co.  Mr.  Forbes  be- 
ing thoroughly  familiar  with  Spain  and  Portugal 
and  the  needs  of  these  two  countries  for  a  freight 
service  that  would  be  quick  and  direct,  organized, 
in  1914,  the  Ocean  Transportation  Corporation. 
His  primary  object  was  to  develop  relations  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  Spain,  Portugal, 
the  Canary  Islands  and  Italy.  The  service  to  the 
last  named  country  has  been  discontinued  on  ac- 
count of  the  European  war.  but  that  to  the  other 
points  has  increased  steadily.  The  company's 
chartered  freighters  sail  once  a  month,  and 
oftener  if  the  cargoes  warrant  increased  serv- 
ice. The  export  freight  includes  general  mer- 
chandise, electrical  supplies,  oil,  munitions,  etc., 
and  the  incoming  cargoes  are  made  up  oi 
Spanish  and  Portuguese  products  as  well  as  those 
from  the  Canary  Islands.  Since  its  organization 
the  company  has  had  an  average  clearance  of  more 
than  one  steamship  each  month  and  the  business 
is  steadily  growing.  One  reason  for  this  increase 
is  the  fact  that  the  Ocean  Transportation  Corpo- 
ration gives  a  more  direct  service  than  the  regular 
lines. 

The  bulk  of  tha  cargoes  are  consigned  to 
Cadiz  and  Barcelona,  which  are  the  only  ports 
touched  but  through  bills  of  lading  are  issued  to  all 
Spanish  ports.  Mr.  Forbes  gives  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  corporation's  business  and  his  untiring 
energy  and  unceasing  effort  are  two  of  the  most 
important  factors  in  the  development  of  the  trade 
between  the  three  countries. 

Previous  to  establishing  the  Ocean  Transporta- 
tion Corporation,  Mr.  Forbes  organized  the  Ma- 
rine Importing  Co.  in  1913.  This  company 
handled  grapes  solely  and  built  up  a  very  large 
trade,  the  importations  running  as  high  as  50,000 
barrels  per  year. 

Mr.  Forbes  was  married  June  24,  1916,  to 
Amanda  E.  Rohde.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Whitehall  Club,  the  New  York  Athletic  Club, 
and  the  Merchants  Association.  His  offices  are 
at  25   Beaver  Street. 


C  OMPANIA  TRANSA  I  LANTICA 
The  Compania  Transatlantica,  familiarly  known 
to  shippers  and  steamship  men  as  the  Spanish  Line, 
is  a  Spanish  corporation  of  which  the  Marques  de 
Comillas  is  President.  It  has  twenty-five  steam- 
ships engaged  in  overseas  trade  and  furnishes  to 
travelers  and  shippers  the  best  possible  service  in 
passenger  and  freight  traffic  between  New  York 
and  Spam,  Spain  and  South  and  Central  America 
and  the  Philippines.  The  home  offices  of  the  com- 
pany are  in  Barcelona,  Spain,  while  the  New 
York  business  is  looked  after  by  J.  Zaragoza.  ai 
agent,  with  offices  at  Pier  8,  East  River.  The 
Spanish  Line  steamships,  with  superbly  appointed 
cabins  and  the  best  possible  service,  offer  the  only 
absolutely  safe  route  for  travelers  destined  to  Eng- 
lish or  French  points,  or  in  fact  to  any  of  the 
cities  of  Europe  that  are  open  to  travel.  The 
danger  from  destructive  undersea  boats  is  entirely 
eliminated  by  this  route.  The  passenger  saiii 
directly  from  New  York  to  Barcelona,  far  re- 
moved from  the  dangerous  war  zone,  and  from 
thence  travels  overland  to  France,  from  which 
country  he  can  reach  England  in  perfect  safety, 
or  be  transported  by  rail  to  any  of  the  allied  or 
neutral  countries.  The  same  safety  is  assured  in 
reaching  the  Philippines  as  the  German  destroyers 
are  not  operating  in  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  the 
Japanese  patrol  prevents  attacks  by  stray  sea 
raiders.  The  company  has  about  four  sailings 
each  month  and  the  popularity  of  the  route  and 
its  safety  from  the  dangers  of  war  is  attested  by 
the  large  passenger  list.  The  freight  service  of 
the  line  is  as  complete  in  its  way  as  the  passenger, 
the  company  issuing  through  bills  of  lading  to 
paints  in  the  various  countries  to  which  its  service 
extends. 


AMERICAN  STAR  LINE,  INC. 
The  American  Star  Line,  Inc.,  which  was 
organized  in  1913,  has  made  remarkable  progress 
for  a  new  concern  and  now  reaches  European 
and  Mediterranean  ports,  with  a  fleet  of  fast 
freight  steamers.  Two  of  these  are  owned  by  the 
company  and  many  others  are  chartered  for  the 
service.  The  company  also  owns  four  sailing 
vessels,  three  of  which  touch  trans-Atlantic  ports 
and  the  other  is  engaged  in  the  coastwise  trade. 
The  President  of  the  American  Star  Line,  Inc.,  is 
Moses  Ginsburg,  who  was  a  steamship  agent  up 
to  the  time  of  his  entry  into  the  ocean  transporta- 
tion business.  The  Vice-President  is  A.  Frankel. 
The  offices  of  the  line  are  at  25  Beaver  Street, 
and  the  activity  of  officers  and  clerks  is  an 
indication  that  the  amount  of  freight  handled  will 
soon  require  a  much  larger  fleet. 


NEM^    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


317 


CAPTAIN  PIERRE  LE  GOUGUEC 

Many  overseas  shipping  and  trading  organiza- 
tions have  been  farmed  since  the  outbreak  of  the 
European  wa>-,  several  of  which  have  been  of 
great  service  in  transporting  foodstuffs  and  sup- 
plies to  the  Allied  countries.  Prominent  among 
those  who  have  rendered  aid  in  this  work  is  Cap- 
tain Pierre  Le  Gauguec  who  was  born  January 
15,  1883,  in  Auray,  Department  of  Morbihan. 
France.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  education, 
Captain  Le  Gouguec  entered  the  merchant  marine 
service  and  rose  to  the  rank  of  master.  After  sev- 
eral years  in  this  position  he  resigned  in  order  to 
devote  his  time  to  commercial  pursuits.  The 
growth  of  trade  relations  between  the  United 
States  and  France  was  the  inducement  that  brought 
Captain  Le  Gouguec  lo  New  York,  where  he  felt 
his  maritime  experience  would  be  of  great  value 
in  the  development  of  commerce  between  the  coun- 
try of  his  birth  and  that  of  his  adoption.  After 
looking  the  field  over  he  organized  the  Alliance 
Shipping  Company  of  New  York  and  France  and 
the  American  Exportation  and  Transportation 
Company,  with  offices  at  42  Broadway,  New- 
York  City.  He  is  the  active  head  of  these  com- 
panies, which  have  under  charter  a  number  oi 
ships  to  ply  between  the  two  Republics.  Captain 
Le  Gauguec  and  his  staff  of  assistants  have  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  requirements  of  the 
French  people  and  of  the  conditions  under  which 
American  goods  should  be  shipped.  This  knowl- 
edge will  be  of  inestimable  value  to  American 
firms  contemplating  the  extension  of  their  overseas 
business  and  Captain  Le  Gouguec  is  in  a  position 
to  give  valuable  advice  relative  to  transatlantic 
traffic.  Already  Captain  Le  Gouguec's  efforts 
have  brought  success  to  the  two  companies  and  he 
is  sanguine  of  a  large  and  constantly  increasing 
business  from  now  until  peace  is  declared  and  a 
much  larger  trade  after  that  period 


KOEHLER  &  KEMP 

The  firm  of  Koehler  &  Kemp,  cargo  surveyors 
and  appraisers,  1 6  and  1 8  Exchange  Place,  has 
since  its  organization  in  1910  built  up  by  strict 
business  methods  and  honest  service  a  very  large 
clientele  among  the  shipping  men  of  the  United 
States  and  abroad.  The  firm  is  composed  of 
Frank  F.  Koehler  and  John  S.  Kemp,  both  of 
whom  had  years  of  experience  in  the  business  be- 
fore forming  their  present  connection.  They  em- 
ploy a  large  force  of  capable  men  who  are  sent 
to  any  part  of  the  world  where  their  services  are 
demanded.  In  addition  to  cargo  surveying  and 
appraising,  Koehler  &  Kemp  act  as  special  agents. 
A  large  suite  of  offices  is  occupied  by  the  firm 
and  fitted  up  with  the  most  modern  devices  to 
insure  business  efficiency. 


OVERSEAS  TRANSPORTATION 
COMPANY,  INC. 
A  strong  advocate  of  helping  the  Government 
in  the  present  crisis,  Hyman  Eppstein.  President 
of  the  Overseas  Transportation  Company,  Inc.,  of 
42  Broadway,  said  that  "the  resources  of  the 
government  consist  not  only  of  the  money  but  the 
ability  of  the  citizens  to  help  and  each  one  in  his 
respective  capacity  should  give  his  experience  and 
ability  in  aiding  the  movement  for  the  world's 
democracy.  Since  in  this  wai  the  Atlantic  must 
be  crossed  it  is  the  shipping  men  that  can  render 
the  most  efficient  assistance  and  it  is  the  duty  of 
every  shipping  office  to  help  in  a  manner  that 
would  save  not  only  money  but  time,  which  is 
most  essential.  It  is  readily  known  among  ship- 
ping men  that  those  not  experienced  in  that  line 
lose  from  40  per  cent,  to  50  per  cent,  in  time  and 
profits,  which  is  almost  equal  to  twice  the  number 
of  ships  that  may  be  required  by  the  government 
for  despatch,  and  if  the  shipping  interests  here 
will  show  wherein  they  can  help,  the  power  in 
handling  shipments  abroad  will  be  increased  at 
least  40  per  cent.  Every  steamship  office  can 
take  care  of  at  least  five  steamers  per  week  with- 
out interfering  with  its  regular  business  and  this 
service  should  be  devoted  to  the  government  with- 
out remuneration  of  any  kind." 


THE  NATIONAL  STEAM  NAVIGATION 
CO.,  LTD.,  OF  GREECE 

The  National  Steam  Navigation  Co.,  Ltd.,  of 
Greece,  of  which  Nicholas  A.  Galonas  is  the 
New  York  representative,  operates  both  a  freight 
and  passenger  service  between  this  country,  Italy, 
and  Greece.  It  has  a  fleet  of  sixteen  vessels  and 
makes  weekly  sailings  to  the  countries  named.  Mr. 
Galonas,  in  addition  to  looking  after  the  interests 
of  the  company  here,  is  also  an  importer  and  ex- 
porter. He  exports  all  goads  of  American  manu- 
facture, for  which  he  finds  a  market  in  the  va- 
rious cities  of  Greece  and  Italy,  which  are  reached 
either  directly  by  his  line  or  by  trans-shipment  from 
the  ports  touched.  The  imported  goods  handled  in- 
clude anything  produced  in  Italy  or  Greece  that 
finds  a  market  in  this  country.  The  offices  of 
Mr.  Galonas  are  at  20  Pearl  Street. 


318 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


CALDWELL  &  CO. 


In  the  days  when  sailing  chpper  ships  were 
the  rule  rather  than  the  exception,  E.  Caldwell 
started  in  business  in  New  York  City  as  a  for- 
warding agent.  This  was  as  early  as  185  7.  and 
the  founder  of  the  huge  business,  now  conducted 
under  the  firm  name  of  Caldwell  &  Co.,  who  died 
but  recently,  lived  to  see  his  modest  venture  develop 
into  one  of  the  largest  houses  of  its  character  in 
the  United  States.  He  witnessed  the  passmg  of 
the  wooden  craft  from  trans-Atlantic  transportation 
and  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  his  firm 
had  taken  its  place  in  the  front  rank  of  foreign 
freight  contractors  and  forwarders  to  every  port 
of  call  in  the  seven  seas.  After  he  had  been  in 
business  for  some  years  his  son,  Watson  H. 
Caldwell,  entered  into  partnership  and  the  firm 
became  E.  &  W.  H.  Caldwell.  Later  Otto 
Rademan  and  H.  Fowler  acquired  interest  in  the 
business  and  the  present  title,  Caldwell  &  Co.,  was 
assumed.  In  addition  to  freight  contracting  and 
forwarding,  the  firm  acts  as  custom  house  brokers 
and  marine  insurance  agents.  The  head  office  of 
Caldwell  &  Co.  is  at  50  Broad  Street,  New 
York  City.  It  operates  as  Caldwell  &  Co.,  Inc., 
in  Boston  with  offices  at  1  1  0  State  Street  and  as 
the  Caldwell  Shipping  Co.  in  Detroit,  at  304  Free 
Press  Building;  in  Milwaukee  at  735  Merchants' 
and  Manufacturers'  Building  and  in  San  Francisco 
at  244  California  Street.     In  addition  the  firm 


has  corresponding  agents  in  all  the  principal  ports 
of  the  world.  They  are  agents  for  Osaka  Shosen 
Kaisha  (Osaka  Mercantile  Steamship  Co.,  Ltd.); 
Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha  (Japan  Mail  Steamship 
Co.)  which  sails  weekly  from  Tacoma  and  Seattle 
to  ports  in  China,  Japan  and  the  Philippine  Islands 
in  connection  with  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  Railroad  Co.,  and  for  the  Yeoward 
Brothers  line  of  steamers,  which  make  weekly  sail- 
ings from  Liverpool  to  Lisbon  and  the  Canary 
Islands,  connecting  at  Lisbon  for  Cape  Verde 
Islands  and  Portuguese  West  and  East  African 
ports,  issuing  through  bills  of  lading  from  New 
York  City.  Freight  rates  are  cjuoted  and  through 
bills  of  lading  are  issued  to  all  parts  of  the 
world. 

The  firm  makes  a  specialty  of  a  fast  overland 
service  via  the  Pacific  Coast  to  the  Orient  and 
Australasia.  In  this  service  combined  carloads  of 
machinery  and  merchandise  are  assembled  at 
Chicago  and  forwarded  about  six  times  a  year  to 
the  Pacific  Coast,  making  immediate  clearance  on 
mail  steamers  for  China,  Japan,  Philippines,  Indian 
Ocean  ports  and  Australasia.  Carload  shipments 
are  distributed,  C.  O.  D.  collections  made  and 
consular  documents  arranged  for  in  all  countries. 
Under  this  special  overland  service  shippers  and 
consignees  are  enabled  to  forward  less  than  car- 
load lots  at  carload  rates. 


CHAPTER  EIGHTEEN 


Important  Lines  of   Industry  and  Commerce 


"The  Swamp"  and  the  Leather  Industries — The  Coal  Trade — New  York 
Largest  Anthracite  Consumer — Tobacco,  Fruits,  Coffee,  Sugar. 


IN  Colonial  times  in  New  York  there  exisied  be- 
low the  Commons  (later  City  Flail  Park),  on 
the  east  side  of  the  city  in  the  vicinity  of  Ferry 
Street,  a  tract  of  low  land  familiarly  known  as 
"The  Swamp."  It  was  covered  with  tangled 
briers  and  was  not  attractive  to  the  eye,  but  Jacob- 
us Roosevelt  bought  it  in  I  734,  laid  it  out  in  fifty 
lots  and  established  several  tanneries  on  it.  It 
has  continued  true  to  the  maxim,  "There's  nothing 
like  leather,"  for  though  the  tanneries  have  been 
removed,  the  tanners  remained  and  the  leather 
dealers,  leather  belt  manufacturers,  findings  dealers 
and  a  genume  leather  community,  still  known  as 
"The  Swamp"  m  the  trade  and  representmg  one 
of  the  greatest  leather  regions  ui  the  world,  occupy- 
the  old  tract. 

The  manufacturing  census  of  1914  gives  the 
value  of  the  output  of  the  metropolitan  district  in 
products  of  "leather,  tanned,  curried  and  finished" 
at  $26,051,000,  and  of  "leather  goods,  not  else- 
where specified"  at  $22,308,000  and  of  "boots 
and  shoes,  including  cut  stock  and  findings"  at 
$31,559,000. 

The  leather  business  of  the  city  has  always 
included  in  its  membership  men  of  much  promi- 
nence in  the  city.  The  last  of  the  appointed  May- 
ors of  New  York  before  the  law  requiring  them 
to  be  elected  went  into  effect  was  Gideon  Lee,  who 
held  the  office  in  1  833  and  was  afterward  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress.  He  had  a  profitable  leather 
business  in  "The  Swamp."  Another  leader  in  the 
business,  recently  deceased,  was  Ch?rles  A. 
Schieren,  belting  manufacturer  of  great  prominence, 
who  was  the  last  Mayor  of  Brooklyn  before  its 
absorption  by  the  Greater  City. 

The  tanneries  of  New  York  were  an  early  in- 
dustry. They  were  first  located  in  Broad  Street 
along  the  canal  which  ran  along  in  its  center. 
Fhey  had  been  declared  a  nuisance  under 
the  Dutch  regime,  but  did  not  comply  with 
the  order  to  move  until  the  English  came  in  and 


Sir  Edmund  Andros  was  Governor,  when  the 
command  was  made  imperative  and  the  tan-vats 
were  removed  to  the  lower  part  of  Maiden  Lane. 
Four  of  the  tanners,  who  were  shoemakers  by 
trade,  then  bought  a  tract  of  land  bounded  by 
Broadway,  Ann,  William  and  Gold  Streets  and 
began  business  there.  The  region  was  thence 
known  as  the  "Shoemakers'  Lane"  until  1 696, 
when  it  was  divided  into  town  lots  and  the  tanners 
were  driven  into  "The  Swamp." 

The  tanning  business  has  developed  much  dur- 
ing several  decades  past,  and  most  of  the  tan- 
ning is  now  done  in  the  regions  where  tanbark 
is  most  accessible,  it  being  cheaper  to  carry  the 
hides  to  the  bark  than  the  bark  to  the  hides.  Fin- 
ishing is  done  in  various  cities  of  the  country,  but 
the  business  of  marketing  and  distributing  is  center- 
ed in  the  great  cities.  New  York  being  one  of  the 
foremost  wholesale  and  exporting  markets  for 
leather  and  its  products,  including,  besides  the 
goods  manufactured  in  the  metropolitan  district, 
those  of  many  other  manufacturing  districts,  which 
maintain  headquarters  or  sales  offices  in  New 
York.  Ninety  per  cent  of  the  exports  of  leather 
from  the  United  States  during  the  fiscal  year  ended 
February  1,  1917,  passed  through  New  York  har- 
bor, and  the  total  exports  of  hides  and  leather  for 
that  period  were  valued  at  $331,922,175.  The 
imports  of  hides  free  of  duty  into  the  port  of 
New  York  during  the  single  month  of  April, 
1917,  were  of  the  value  of  $14,178,235.  The 
number  of  hides  imported  during  the  year  ended 
February  1.  1917,  was  14.106,000  and  they 
were  valued  at  $99,000,142. 

The  coal  industry  of  New  York  is  enormous. 
Because  of  an  ordinance  forbidding  the  use  of  soft 
coal  within  city  limits,  the  use  of  anthracite  is  gen- 
eral in  the  city,  which,  having  thus  eliminated  the 
smoke  nuisance,  has  also  become  the  world's  larg- 
est consumer  of  anthracite  coal.  Because  of  its 
position  as  the  greatest  seaport  of  the  world  the 


320 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


city  also  is  the  foremost  bunkering  point  lor  bitu- 
minous coal  of  steam  grades,  having  rail  ancJ  canal 
systems  connecting  it  with  the  mines  which  give  it 
superior  facilities  for  keeping  up  a  complete  and 
adequate  supply  for  all  purposes.  The  city  and 
harbor  therefore  create  a  vast  center  of  coal  distri- 
bution which  has  centered  in  New  York  the  exec- 
utive management  of  the  largest  coal  companies. 

Tobacco  enters  very  largely  into  the  domestic 
and  foreign  commerce  of  New  York.  Americans 
are  themselves  very  largely  devotees  of  "My  Lady 
Nicotine"  and  in  addition  the  country  is  the  largest 
producer  of  tobacco  and  exports  it  in  vast  quanti- 
ties to  foreign  countries.  New  York  is  a  great 
center  of  distribution,  export,  sale  and  manufac- 
ture of  domestic   and  imported  tobacco   and  to- 


New  York  "Times"  Building — 42nd  Street 
and  Broadway. 

bacco  products.  It  is  the  home  of  establishments 
that  have  been  engaged  in  tobacco  manufacture  for 
more  than  a  century,  and  the  metropolitan  district 
manufactured  in  the  year  1914  a  total  value 
of  $103,564,000    in    tobacco    manufactures  in 


large  and  small  factories,  one  concern  em- 
ploying over  four  thousand  workers.  Many  large 
corporations  formed  for  the  handling  and  produc- 
tion of  tobacco  and  its  manufactures,  with  plants 
scattered  far  and  wide,  have  their  headquarters 
and  chief  offices  in  New  York,  which  has  thus 
become  the  tobacco  metropolis  of  the  world,  and 
controls  factories,  warehouses  and  even  retail  stores 
in  cities  and  towns  throughout  the  country. 

One  of  the  greatest  of  the  busy  activities  of  New 
York  is  its  position  as  a  market  for  fruits  and 
produce  which  puts  under  contribution  not  only 
all  the  fruit  regions  of  the  United  States  but  also 
those  of  the  West  Indies  and  the  Caribbean.  Cal- 
ifornia and  the  Pacific  states  keep  a  continuous  line 
of  fast  freight  trains  mcrving  over  the  various 
roads  that  lead  to  New  York  to  supply  the  de- 
mand of  the  city  not  only  for  the  citrus  fruits, 
grapes  and  raisins  which  for  a  time  were  the  prin- 
cipal articles  of  its  commerce  with  New  York,  but 
also  the  apples  of  northern  California,  Oregon 
and  Washington,  pears,  peaches  and  other  fruits 
which  grow  so  large  and  luscious  under  the  golden 
sun  of  the  Pacific.  Florida  fruits  also  find  their 
chief  market  in  New  York,  and  Georgia,  Mary- 
land, Delaware  and  south  Jersey  contribute  their 
earliest  and  best.  Steamers  from  the  West  In- 
dies and  Central  America  bring  pineapples,  ban- 
anas, cocoanuts  and  various  tropical  fruits  to  this 
great  city,  which  consumes  more  fruits  itself  than 
any  other  city  on  the  planet,  and  distributes  them 
also  as  wholesaler  through  a  quite  extensive  terri- 
tory. Fruits  and  produce  of  field  and  garden 
make  of  West  Street  and  its  side  streets  for  several 
blocks  the  busiest  market  of  the  kind  in  America. 

Many  more  products  might  be  enumerated. 
New  York  imports  and  handles  more  coffee  than 
any  other  city  in  the  world,  the  imports  for  the 
year  of  that  commodity  being  valued  at  approxi- 
mately $100,000,000,  more  than  three-fourths 
of  the  total  coffee  entries  of  the  United  States 
coming  through  New  York.  This  city  handles 
also  the  bulk  of  the  sugar  supply  of  the  country, 
the  consumption  of  this  staple  by  Americans 
amounting  in  1915  to  8,626,793,238  pounds. 

The  list  might  be  greatly  and  tediously  extended, 
but  would  only  unnecessarily  amplify  the  fact  that 
New  York,  including  its  domestic  and  foreign  busi- 
ness, is  now  the  largest  and  most  all-embracing 
commercial  center  in  the  world,  whose  transactions 
cover  every  domestic  and  foreign  product  needed 
by  the  American  people  or  covered  by  overseas 
demand. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


321 


THEODORE  FRANCIS  WHITMARSH 

Theodore  Francis  Whitmarsh,  Vice-President 
and  Treasurer  of  Francis  H.  Leggett  &  Co.,  wai 
born  in  New  York  City,  November  6th,  1869, 
the  son  of  H.  C.  and  Caroline  H.  (Leggett) 
Whitmarsh.  After  a  common  school  education 
he  began  his  business  career  in  1 886  with  hii 
uncle,  the  late  Francis  H.  Leggett,  and  working 
his  way  through  the  various  departments  was  ad- 
mitted to  membership  in  the  firm  in  1  896,  becom- 
ing its  Vice-President  and  Treasurer  when  the 
firm  was  incorporated  in  1902.  On  the  death 
of  Mr.  Leggett  he  assumed  the  active  management 
of  the  business. 

Besides  this  connection  he  is  President  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Seacoast  Canning  Company  and 
Treasurer  of  the  American  Can  Company  of 
Maine. 

He  is  a  member  of  Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Com- 


mandery  and  Shrine  of  Masonic  Order;  President 
of  the  National  Wholesale  Grocers'  Association 
of  the  United  States;  Trustee  and  member  of  the 
Funding  Committee  of  the  Greenwich  Savings  Bank ; 
Director  of  the  Irving  National  Bank  and  Director 
of  the  Broadway  Trust  Company.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Metropolitan,  Union  League,  Metropolitan 
Opera,  Sleepy  Hollow,  New  York  Athletic,  Mer- 
chants, Arkwright,  Knollwood  and  Percy  Summer 
Club,  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  the  United 
States;  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  N.  Y.  State; 
New  York  Genealogical  Society,  Museum  of  Art 


and  American  Museum  of  Natural  History.  Mr. 
Whitmarsh  resides  at  339  West  77th  Street,  New- 
York  City,  and  has  a  summer  camp  at  Percy, 
Coos  County,  New  Hampshire.  His  business 
address  is  27th  Street  &  13th  Avenue,  New  York 
City.  He  married  Lillian  A.  Smith  of  New 
York  City  and  has  three  children:  Francis  H. 
L.  Whitmarsh,  Harvard,  16;  Karl  R.  Whit- 
marsh, Harvard,  '19,  and  Katharine  Whitmarsh, 
Miss  Spence's  School,  '16. 


CASTNER,  CURRAN  &  BULLITT.  INC. 

One  of  the  largest  companies  engaged  in  the 
handling  of  coal  for  steaming  purposes  is  Castner, 
Curran  &  Bullitt,  Inc.,  who  are  sole  agents  for 
C.C.B.  Pocahontas  and  C.C.B.  New  River, 
two  American  coals  that  are  universally  recog- 
nized as  standards.  C.C.B.  Pocahontas  has  been 
the  most  popular  and  satisfying  coal  in  use  since 
the  opening  up  of  the  Pocahontas  coal  fields  in 
West  Virginia  thirty  years  ago.  The  sale  of  these 
brands,  both  of  which  are  smokeless,  to  all  parts 
of  the  world,  was  built  up  by  this  company.  Due 
to  its  excellent  steaming  qualities  and  particularly 
to  the  care  in  preparation,  inspection  and  shipping, 
this  product  found  a  ready  market  and  was  soon 
endorsed  by  the  governments  of  the  United  States. 
Great  Britain  and  other  foreign  countries,  and  the 
very  high  standard  of  excellence  that  was  given 
C.C.B.  Pocahontas  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  de- 
velopment of  the  field  is  being  today  just  as  vig- 
orously maintained.  C.C.B.  New  River,  a  coal 
of  equal  quality  to  Pocahontas,  mined  from  the 
more  recently  developed  New  River  field  along 
the  Virginia  Railway,  is  given  the  same  careful 
preparation  that  is  given  C.C.B.  Pocahontas.  These 
coals,  also  accepted  by  the  United  States  Govern- 
ment as  standard  for  admiralty  and  other  purposes, 
are  unsurpassed  for  the  generation  of  steam,  and 
their  high  carbon,  low  volatile  and  ash  content 
make  them  an  ideal  fuel  for  export  and  bunker 
uses.  Castner,  Curran  &  Bullitt.  Inc.,  is  a  cor- 
poration organized  under  the  laws  of  the  State 
of  Delaware,  with  executive  offices  at  I  Broadway, 
New  York  City.  The  business  is  directly 
under  the  supervision  of  Lemuel  Burrows,  Presi- 
dent, and  P.  A.  Castner  is  Secretary  and  Treas- 
urer of  the  company.  It  has  loading  terminals  at 
Lambert's  Point,  Sewall's  Point,  and  Newport 
News,  Hampton  Roads,  Virginia.  The  European 
agents  are  Hull,  Blyth  &  Co.,  No.  1  Lloyds 
Avenue,  London,  E.  C. 


322 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


323 


JOHN  A. 

Successful  as  a  developer  of  seaside  realty, 
prominent  in  every  movement  lookmg  to  the  prog- 
ress of  Harlem  and  deeply  interested  in  all  civic 
matters,  John  A.  Wilbur  is  now  contributing  his 
ripe  experience  to  the  affairs  of  the  American 
Federation  of  Flying  Yacht  Clubs,  of  which  he 
is  Corresponding  Secretary.  This  organization 
was  started  in  1916  and  was  fostered  by  the 
Harlem  Board  of  Commerce  and  the  Harlem 
Luncheon  Association.  Its  object  is  the  training 
of  aviators  for  military  service  durmg  the  war  and 
for  the  establishment  of  a  club  house  with  hangars 
for  flying  boats,  water  approaches  and  landing 
places  on  the  west  side  of  the  Hudson  River  at 
Riverside  Drive  and  129th  Street.  This  move- 
ment has  been  endorsed  by  prominent  aviators  and 
government  officials  who  claim  that  the  world's 
future  peace  can  be  maintained  only  by  the  su- 
premacy of  the  United  States  in  the  air.  Mr. 
Wilbur,  who  is  patriotically  engaged  in  advancing 
the  organization's  interests,  was  born  at  Manor- 
ville.  New  York,  March  16,  1866.  He  was 
educated  m  district  schools  and  began  his  career 
in  New  York  City  as  a  district  messenger  boy 
and  later  became  a  telegraph  operator.  He  after- 
wards became  a  partner  in  a  hardware  firm  and 
in  1908  acquired  acreage  at  Fire  Island  Beach 
and  began  his  successful  realty  developments.  He 
converted  this  spot  into  a  family  seashore  resort 
known  as  Ocean  Beach,  with  a  large  hotel, 
several  miles  of  board  walk  and  established  a  pas- 
senger boat  service  connecting  the  colony  with  the 
Long  Island  Railroad  system  at  Bay  Shore.  Mr. 
Wilbur's  success  is  the  result  of  hard  work  and 
a  close  study  of  real  estate  conditions.  He  under- 
stands seaside  realty  thoroughly  and  has  been  a 
prolific  writer  on  real  estate  development.  One 
of  the  first  things  he  did  after  the  Ocean  Beach 
Colony  was  started  was  to  form  a  civic  organi- 
zation and  this  helped  wonderfully  in  maintain- 
ing a  community  pride  and  spirit.  Life  lines,  a 
lung  motor  and  other  safety  devices  were  provided 
for  bathers  while  provisions  were  made  to  keep 
the  beach  free  from  litter,  and  a  sanitation  com- 
mittee was  appointed.  A  fire  department  was  also 
established  and  the  summer  can  be  spent  at  this 
resort  with  absolute  safety  and  comfort. 

Mr.  Wilbur  has  always  taken  a  vital  interest 
in  all  matters  that  will  advance  the  city's  interest 


WILBUR 

and  was  one  of  the  most  vigorous  and  active 
presidents  the  Harlem  Board  of  Commerce  ever 
had.  He  is  still  greatly  interested  in  that  organi- 
zation and  is  now  its  secretary.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  New 
York  City.  In  politics  Mr.  Wilbur  is  an  inde- 
pendent Democrat  and  is  always  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  his  district.  Being  deeply  interested  in 
labor  problems,  he  is  opposed  to  over-capitaliza- 
tion of  trusts  and  is  a  strong  advocate  of  the  work- 
ing man's  rights.  While  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education  he  was  persistent  in  his  efforts  to 
improve  the  sanitary  condition  of  the  schools  and 
formulated  a  plan  for  reorganizing  the  Board,  re- 
ducing it  to  seven  members.  He  also  started  an 
investigation  that  disclosed  the  fact  that  second 
hand  pianos  had  for  years  been  bought  for  the 
schools  as  new  instruments.  The  same  careful 
watchfulness  marks  Mr.  Wilbur's  course  in  all 
matters  with  which  he  is  affiliated.  He  is  always 
looking  for  results  and  his  efforts  to  advance  the 
interest  of  Harlem,  where  he  makes  his  home, 
have  been  highly  successful.  He  has  resided  in 
this  section  of  the  city  for  thirty-seven  years  and 
the  prosperity  there  is  in  a  measure  due  to  his 
unceasing  work  and  that  of  the  Harlem  Board 
of  Commerce,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  dominant 
figures. 

Mr.  Wilbur  is  President  of  the  Ocean  Beach- 
Fire  Island  Company,  New  York ;  was  President 
of  the  Harlem  Board  of  Commerce,  1907-1908; 
President  of  the  Harlem  Democratic  Club,  1904- 
1905;  member.  Commercial  Telegraphers'  Union, 
A.  F.  L.,  New  York  State  Hotel  Association, 
Harlem  Branch  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  Merchants'  As- 
sociation, People's  Institute.  He  is  a  Thirty- 
second  Degree  Mason,  Past-Master  of  Bunting 
Lodge,  F.  and  A.  M.,  member  of  Sylvan  Chapter. 
Constantine  Commandery,  Mystic  Shrine,  and  all 
of  the  Scottish  Rite  bodies. 

He  was  married  November  24,  1896,  to  Miss 
Julia  A.  Relay  and  has  one  son  and  two  daughters, 
John  A.,  Jr.,  Alma  Phyllis  and  Charitv  Evelyn 
Wilbur. 

His  summer  homes  are  at  Bay  Shore,  Long 
Island,  and  at  Ocean  Beach-Fire  Island.  His 
town  residence  is  201  West  122nd  Street,  New- 
York,  and  his  business  address  is  217  West 
125th  Street,  New  ^'ork 


324 


NEW    YORK-~0!D    AND  NEW 


JOHN  W.  RAPP 

John  W.  Rapp,  founder,  owner  and  President 
of  the  Empire  Art  Metal  Works,  College  Point, 
L.  I.,'  has  gained  national  fame  in  the  buildmg 
trades  by  his  work  in  originating  bronze  and  steel 
trim  and  metal  doors  that  make  an  otherwise  dan- 
gerous structure  absolutely  fireproof.  The  Col- 
lege Point  plant  now  occupies  two  blocks  square 
and  in  these  immense  buildmgs  are  manufactured 
building  appliances  upon  which  Mr.  Rapp  has 
taken  out  seventy  patents.  It  is  the  largest  con- 
cern of  its  character  m  the  United  States  and  the 
product  includes  the  great  artistic  metal  doors  seen 
in  the  modern  building  that  have  every  appearance 


of  the  finest  polished  wood  with  the  power  to  with- 
stand fire  and  to  shut  out  noise. 

Mr.  Rapp  was  born  in  New  York  City,  April 
26,  1861,  and  learned  the  trade  of  sheet  metal 
worker.  He  began  business  for  himself  in  a 
small  shop  and  later  made  crude  metal  dumb- 
waiter doors  for  the  Harlem  flats  when  the  Build- 
ing Department  laws  were  made  more  rigid.  From 
this  small  beginning  grew  the  John  W.  Rapp 
Company  and  subsequently  the  present  concern. 
Among  the  structures  fireproofed  by  Mr.  Rapp's 
method  are  the  buildings  and  tower  of  the  Met- 
ropolitan Life  Insurance  Company,  the  Fifth  Av- 
enue Building,  the  Woolworth  Building,  Adams 
Express  Building,  New  Equitable  Building,  Ger- 
mania  Life    Building,    City    Investing  Building, 


Municipal  Building,  the  Widener  Building,  Phila- 
delphia, and  many  others  in  the  larger  cities  of 
the  country.  Mr.  Rapp  is  an  ideal  employer  and 
takes  great  interest  in  improving  the  social  condi- 
tion of  his  working  force.  He  is  a  Director  of 
the  Colpo  Realty  Company  and  the  R.  &  J. 
Building  Company  and  is  a  member  of  the  Build- 
ing Employers'  Association  and  the  College  Point 
Club,  a  Trustee  of  the  Flushing  Hospital  and  of 
the  Queens  Board  of  Trade. 


WALDO  HALL  MARSHALL 
The  possession  of  an  executive  ability  that 
enabled  him  to  successfully  conduct  the  affairs  of  a 
large  industrial  plant  brought  Waldo  H.  Mar- 
shall into  close  touch  with  financial  affairs  and  led 
to  his  resignation  as  President  of  the  American 
Locomotive  Company,  to  become  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  J.  P.  Morgan  &  Co.,  one  of  the  world's 
leading  financial  institutions.  Mr.  Marshall  was 
born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  June  7,  I  864,  and 
received  a  public  school  education  in  that  city. 
After  leaving  school  he  took  up  the  study  of 
mechanics  and  by  employment  in  various  shops  and 
manufacturing  plants  became  an  expert  in  the  line 
and  also  acquired  a  practical  knowledge  of  street 
railway  operation.  Thoroughly  equipped  along 
this  line,  he  was  in  May,  1897,  appointed  Assist- 
ant Superintendent  of  Motive  Power  of  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railway,  a  position  he  held  until 
June,  1897,  when  he  was  made  Superintendent  of 
Motive  Power  of  the  Lake  Shore  &  Michigan 
Southern  Railway,  becoming  General  Superintend- 
ent of  the  same  road  in  February,  1902,  with 
jurisdiction  over  the  Lake  Erie  &  Western  Rail- 
road and  the  Indiana,  Illinois  &  Iowa  Railroad. 
In  1  903  he  was  made  General  Manager  of  these 
three  lines,  resigning  the  position  in  I  906  to  accept 
the  Presidency  of  the  American  Locomotive  Com- 
pany, which  had  been  organized  in  1901  to  take 
over  the  plants  of  several  companies  engaged  in 
the  manufacture  of  locomotives.  It  later  engaged 
in  the  construction  of  automobiles  and  Mr.  Mar- 
shall's complete  knowledge  of  mechanics  was  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  corporation  and  his  signal 
ability  to  direct  the  affairs  of  a  large  industrial 
concern,  insured  the  success  of  the  company  from 
the  time  he  assumed  the  Presidency.  In  entering 
the  financial  field  Mr.  Marshall's  equipment  was 
such  that  he  became  a  valuable  addition  to  the 
body  of  able  men  who  direct  the  various  depart- 
ments of  the  Morgan  firm.  In  addition  to  his 
handsome  home  in  New  York  City,  Mr.  Marshall 
has  a  country  place  at  Barnstable,  Massachusetts. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


325 


RALPH  H.  BEACH 
Electrical  Engineer  and  Innentor  of  the  Beach  Self-Propelled  Cars. 


The  horse-propelled  street  cars  that  were  to  be 
seen  an  the  streets  of  lower  New  York  until  re- 
cently, owe  their  discontinuance  to  the  efforts  of 
Ralph  H.  Beach,  the  inventor  of  the  Beach  self- 
propelled  car.  The  company  operating  the  lines  that 
were  the  last  to  use  horses  had  made  many  efforts 
to  evolve  a  plan  of  propulsion  as  the  low  ground 
along  the  river  front  made  electric  conduits  of  no 
use  as  they  filled  up  with  every  high  tide.  Finally 
Mr.  Beach  was  called  in  and  he  adopted  a  stor- 


age and  motor  for  use  that  met  every  requirement, 
and  took  the  antiquated  horse  car  from  the  streets. 
Mr.  Beach,  who  is  the  head  of  the  Electric  Car 
and  Locomotive  Corporation,  has  been  interested 
in  electricity  for  many  years.  He  was  born  at 
Linden,  Michigan,  in  1 860.  After  graduation 
from  the  Fenton  (Michigan)  High  School  his 
parents  wanted  him  to  study  medicine,  but  being 
mechanically  inclined  he  secured  employment  in  an 
iron-working    plant.     After    gaining    a  practical 


326 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


training  lu'  turned  hi?  attention  to  the  study  ol 
electricity  and  in  1 888  became  an  employee  of 
the  Thomson-Houston  Electrical  Company  at  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota.  When  this  company  was  ab- 
sorbed by  the  General  Electric  Company,  Mr. 
Beach  had  risen  from  a  position  of  comparative 
obscurity  to  one  of  importance  with  that  great  cor- 
poration. He  had  given  much  study  to  electric  trac- 
tion and  was  made  Manager  of  the  company's  rail- 
way department,  which  expanded  greatly  under  his 
direction.  Mr.  Beach  was  never  satisfied  with 
electri(  work  where  the  ideas  of  others  were  the 
basis  ol  roiistruction.  He  is  an  experinientalis! 
and  it  is  owing  to  his  constant  research  work  that 
Beach  car?  have  been  successfully  constructed  and 
operated  and  are  being  adopted  by  many  of  the 
railroad  companies  of  the  country.  For  years 
engineers  endeavored  to  construct  a  street  car  suf- 
ficiently light  and  economical  in  power  consump- 
tion to  permit  the  use  of  storage  batteries  for  driv- 


lurnishes  also  a  reliable  added  source  oi  energy 
for  handling  the  car  under  all  conditions  where  the 
engine  itself  would  be  incapable  of  doing  it,  such 
as  starting  heavy  loads,  or  working  over  heavy 
grades. 

It  also  furnishes  a  complete  and  separate  source 
of  energy  in  case  of  failure  of  the  engine  to  per- 
form its  work. 

It  also  furnishes  a  load  for  the  engine  during 
the  periods  of  time  when  the  car  is  standing,  and 
because  of  this  makes  simple  the  difficult  problem 
of  controlling  the  engine. 

The  generator  is  so  wound  that  its  voltage  will 
always  follow  the  declining  and  rising  voltage  of 
the  battery,  thereby  causing  the  current  from  the 
generator  and  battery  to  automatically  operate  in 
parallel. 

We  have  in  this  system  a  method  of  handling 
the  storage  battery  which  will  give  it  an  operating 
condition  favorable  to  a  long  bittery  life. 


The  Beach   Oil-Electric  Car 


ing  which  retarded  the  adoption  of  self-propelled 
cars.  It  remained  for  Mr.  Beach  to  overcome 
this  difficulty.  He  then  undertook  the  develop- 
ment of  a  system  of  propulsion  of  heavy  cars  for 
steam  railroad  work. 

These  cars  are  designed  with  a  view  to  em- 
bodying in  the  car  itself  a  complete  power  plant 
with  sufficient  capacity  to  give  abundant  energy 
for  starting  the  car  under  any  and  all  conditions. 

This  great  initial  starting  capacity  is  a  neces- 
sary thing  in  a  self-driven  car,  for  without  it  the 
car  is  helpless  to  move  itself  rapidly  from  a  stand- 
ing position.  This  is  accomplished  by  a  combina- 
tion of  a  generating  plant  and  a  storage  battery. 

The  generating  plant  furnishes  about  one-third 
of  the  total  available  momentary  energy  and  the 
<;torage  battery  about  two-thirds. 

The  battery  furnishes  a  convenient  source  of 
energy  supply  for  starting  the  engine,  for  lighting 
the  cars  and  for  driving  the  air  compressor.  It 


The  battery  is  never  overworked,  neither  is  it 
allowed  to  stand  idle. 

The  electric  drive  is  now  regarded  as  vital  to 
the  success  of  any  large  self-propelled  car.  This 
fact  is  appreciated  by  those  famihar  with  the  ad- 
vantages secured  by  its  use.  The  remarkable  suc- 
cess and  growth  of  the  electric  drive  as  applied 
to  trolley  and  interurban  high  speed  traction  sys- 
tems and  to  locomotives  and  multiple  unit  trains 
is  well  known.  Its  wide  and  increasing  use  in  in- 
dustrial plants  for  machine  tools  of  every  descrip- 
tion where  it  has  replaced  the  more  restricted  and 
cumbersome  mechanical  transmissions  with  great 
advantage  also  attests  its  merits. 

One  of  the  most  important  requirements  in  any 
system  of  power  transmission  between  the  engine 
and  the  car  axles  is  reliability.  The  electric  drive 
is  not  approached  in  this  regard  by  any  mechani 
cal  transmission.  The  electric  motors  used  on 
these  cars  are  designed  for  high  speed  traction 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


327 


work.  Years  of  experience  under  a  great  variety 
of  conditions  have  clearly  indicated  that  there  is 
no  piece  of  apparatus  more  reliable  than  the  trac- 
tion motor.  The  control  is  simple  and  substantial 
and  is  similar  to  the  standard  electric  car  control 
now  in  general  use. 

The  generator  is  a  standard  machine  and  simi- 
lar to  those  now  in  general  use.  The  reliability  oi 
this  piece  of  apparatus  needs  no  special  comment. 

The  battery  is  standard  and  similar  to  thou- 
sands now  in  use.  No  extended  mention  as  to 
the  reliability  of  this  piece  of  apparatus  is  needed. 

The  motors,  control,  generator  and  battery  com- 
prise the  electric  control  of  the  car  which  is  far 
superior  to  that  of  any  direct  mechanical  drive. 

With  the  electric  drive  the  engine  always  turns 
in  the  same  direction.  The  reversal  of  the  direc- 
tion of  the  car  is  accomplished  by  the  movement 
of  a  controller  handle  which  changes  the  direction 


handle  and  a  throttle  lever.  I  he  engine  turning 
at  its  normal  speed  and  delivering  its  maximum 
power  irrespective  of  the  speed  of  the  car  is  a 
feature  which  will  be  found  of  no  little  advantage 
in  case  of  snow  storms  oi  other  emergency  con- 
ditions. 

The  cost  of  maintaining  electrical  apparatus  of 
this  class  has  been  demonstrated  by  long  experi- 
ence to  be  very  low.  With  an  electric  drive  it 
IS  possible  to  mount  the  engine  in  the  car  body 
which  is  a  cushion  support.  Any  vibration  and 
shocks  are  thus  absorbed  and  not  transmitted  to 
the  engine  parts,  reducing  the  maintenance  to  a 
minimum. 

The  engine  is  entirely  enclosed  and  located 
above  the  floor  of  the  car,  thus  eliminating  all 
possible  admission  of  dirt  and  dust. 

There  is  no  mechanical  connection  between  the 
engine  and  the  motors.    The  engine  may  be,  there- 


The  Beach  Oil-Electric  Locomotive 


of  the  rotation  of  the  motors  in  the  usual  manner 
without  stopping  the  engine.  This  avoids  the 
complication  of  a  mechanical  reversing  gear.  For 
switching,  yard  work,  turning  off  Y's,  coupling, 
emergency  stops,  etc.,  this  ability  to  reverse  the 
motors  instantly  without  changing  the  direction  of 
rotation  of  the  engine  oi  stopping  it,  is  important 
and  adds  to  the  safety  and  the  convenience  of 
operation. 

The  electric  drive  permits  of  the  engine  being 
placed  entirely  above  the  floor  line  in  the  cab. 
The  entire  engine  in  under  the  immediate  observa- 
tion of  the  operating  engineer  and  ample  space  is 
provided  for  convenience  of  inspection  and  the  re- 
moval of  any  part  which  may  require  renewal  or 
repair. 

The  electric  drive  has  the  very  obvious  advan- 
tage of  ease  and  flexibility  of  control.  The  op- 
eration is  governed  entirely  by  a  single  controller 


fore,  operated  at  its  highest  efficiency  irrespective 
of  the  speed  of  the  car,  thus  contributing  to  the 
best  economy. 

The  car  is  equipped  with  hand  and  air  brakes 
and  in  addition  to  these,  motors  may  be  reversed 
instantly,  thus  furnishing  a  means  independent  of 
air  or  hand  brakes  for  stopping  the  car  in  cases 
of  emergency. 

The  power  plant  consists  of  an  oil  gas  producer 
into  which  fuel  oil  or  kerosene  is  fed  under  pres- 
sure, generating  a  clean,  dry  gas,  wViich  is  drawn 
into  the  engine  by  suction.  This  engine  is  a  stand- 
ard four  cycle  machine  made  in  the  conventional 
form  for  heavy  duty,  direct  connected  to  a  dif- 
ferential compound  wound  generator  with  a  stor- 
age battery  working  in  parallel.  Electric  motors 
are  mounted  on  the  car  axles  and  current  is  sup- 
plied to  these  motors  through  the  controller  by  the 
generator  or  battery,  or  both. 


328 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


J.  R.  MIGLIETTA 


J.  R.  Miglietta.  Vice-President  of  the  Texas 
Company  and  General  Manager  of  its  Export 
Department,  has  been  connected  with  that  giant 
corporation  smce  its  organization.  He  is  a  native 
of  Italy,  was  born  March  19,  1884,  and  after 
receiving  a  European  education  came  to  this  coun- 
try and  secured  employment  in  the  Texas  oil 
fields.  He  made  rapid  progress  m  this  hne  and, 
becoming  perfectly  familiar  with  local  conditions, 
turned  his  attention  to  the  foreign  market  which, 
to  his  mind,  presented  great  opportunities  for  the 
new  concern.  In  1 905  he  specialized  in  the  ex- 
port trade  and  his  rapidly  acquired  knowledge  of 
conditions  abroad  led  to  his  selection  as  General 
Manager  of  the  company's  Export  Department 
and  his  elevation  to  a  Vice-Presidency  soon  fol- 
lowed. The  stupendous  growth  of  the  department 
of  which  Mr.  Miglietta  is  the  head,  unquestion- 
ably owes  much  of  its  success  and  expansion  to 
his  efforts.  Early  in  his  career  he  realized  that 
the  export  market  for  American  petroleum  prod- 
ucts was  a  most  important  one  and  he  was  cogni- 
zant of  the  fact  that  it  was  a  difficult  proposition 
to  get  an  entry  to  the  foreign  markets.  In  spite 
of  all  obstacles,  however,  Mr.  Miglietta  evolved 
plans  of  procedure  that  brought  success  where 
others  had  failed  and  the  Texas  Company's  prod- 
ucts were  eventually  to  be  found  in  every  market 
of  the  world  and  the  business  is  of  a  character 
that  assures  permanency  by  reason  of  the  company 
distributing,  either  through  their  own  stations  or 
through  agents  under  their  full  control,  directly 
to  the  trade  and  consumers.  "Texaco"  products 
now  cover  the  globe,  reaching  such  remote  points 
as  the  Transvaal,  the  Philippines,  the  treaty  ports 
of  China,  Australia,  South  America  and  the  West 
and  East  Coasts  of  Africa.  The  markets  where 
the  Texas  Company's  oil  is  not  distributed,  direct- 
ly or  indirectly,  are  those  where  only  low  grade 
oil  is  salable,  or  where  the  competition  is  with  oil 


imported  from  the  Dutch  East  Indies  or  California. 
In  his  work  of  extending  the  Texas  Company's 
foreign  trade,  Mr.  Miglietta  has  necessarily  made 
many  trips  abroad,  in  fact  he  lives  part  of  the 
time  in  Europe.  He  is  recognized  as  an  authority 
along  export  lines  and  although  only  thirty-four 
years  of  age,  has  by  the  aid  of  his  able  staff 
built  up  a  business  in  oil  that  is  the  third  largest 
in  the  world.  Some  idea  of  the  growth  of  the 
company's  export  business  can  be  gleaned  from 
the  fact  that  reports  prepared  each  year  show  in- 
creases of  from  50  to  I  90  per  cent  and  these  are 
becoming  annually  larger  as  the  company's  foreign 
ramifications  are  extended.  The  men  who  aid  in  the 
foreign  distribution  of  the  products,  which  include 
Texaco  Lubricating  Oils,  Greases,  Paraffine  Wax 
and  Roofing,  have  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
business  and  are  able  and  alert.  Their  efforts 
will  undoubtedly  keep  the  Texas  Company  in  the 
front  rank  as  a  distributor  of  petroleum  products 
in  foreign  lands. 

To  transport  its  oil  the  company  has  built  a 
large  fleet  of  tank  steamers,  equipped  for  petro- 
leum consumption,  and  many  for  the  exportation 
of  case  goods.  Stations  have  been  erected  at 
Amoy,  China;  Capetown  and  Durban,  South 
Africa;  Beira,  Portuguese  East  Africa;  Bombay, 
India;  Manila,  Philippine  Islands;  Antwerp,  Bel- 
gium: La  Plata,  Argentina,  and  many  other  re- 
mote points.  In  addition  to  directing  this  vast 
business,  Mr.  Miglietta  is  President  of  the  Con- 
tinental Petroleum  Company  of  Belgium  and  the 
Texas  Company  of  South  America;  Chairman 
of  the  Texas  Company,  Ltd.,  of  South  Africa 
and  Director  of  the  Texaco  Petroleum  Products 
Company,  Ltd.,  of  London,  England,  which  is, 
to  say  the  least,  a  successful  business  career  that 
many  men  thirty  years  his  senior  might  envy.  Mr. 
Miglietta's  New  York  address  is  1  7  Battery 
Place. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


329 


J.  R.  Miglietta 


Vice-President  of  the   Texas  Oil   Company  and  General  Manager 
of   the    Export  Department. 


330 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


EDWARD  GU^  ER  BURGESS 
Edward  G.  Burgess,  President  of  the  Interna- 
tional Elevating  Company,  has  for  years  been  one 
of  the  most  prominent  operators  in  grain  at  this 
port.  He  was  born  in  Albany,  N.  Y.,  in  1844 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Jersey 
City.  After  leaving  school  he  entered  the  employ 
of  Alexander  McDougall,  who  was  in  the  jewelry 
business  in  Cortlandt  Street.  After  a  short  time 
in  this  connection  he  became  an  employee  of  Paul 
Grout,  who  was  associated  with  Mr.  Burgess' 
father  in  the  grain  business.  Through  successive 
connections  he  finally  became  connected  with  the 
International  Elevating  Company,  rising  to  the 
presidency  of  that  important  corporation  and  still 


retaining  the  position.  As  directing  head  of  this 
company,  Mr.  Burgess  is  a  most  important  figure 
in  the  movement  of  grain  at  the  port  of  New  York 
He  is  one  of  the  most  popular  and  highly  respected 
members  of  the  Produce  Exchange,  of  which  body 
he  was  Vice-President  for  one  year  and  President 
for  two  years.  Mr.  Burgess  is  a  member  of  the 
Sons  of  the  American  Revolution,  through  an  an- 
cestry which  figured  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and 
in  the  social  and  political  events  preceding  that  con- 
flict. He  is  a  member  of  the  Metropolitan 
Museum  of  Art,  the  American  Museum  of  Nat- 


ural History,  the  Nalioii.d  Geogr.iphic  and  New 
York  Botanical  Societies,  the  New  York  Athletic 
Club,  Montclair  Arts  Club,  Montclair  Club  and 
the  Essex  County  Country  Club,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  founders.  Mr.  Burgess'  business  ad- 
dress is  Room  101,  Produce  Exchange  Building. 


GEORGE  A.  ZABRISKIE 
George  A.  Zabriskie,  who  has  been  engaged 
in  the  distribution  of  the  product  of  the  Pillsbury 
Mills  for  thirty-five  years,  is  one  of  the  able  men 
who  have  been  pressed  into  service  by  the  Gov- 
ernment in  its  effort  to  regulate  and  conserve 
foodstuffs.  Mr.  Zabriskie,  who  is  serving  under 
Commissioner  Hoover,  will  look  after  the  distri- 
bution of  flour  and  the  adjustment  of  equitable 
profits  for  the  mills  throughout  the  United  States. 
Mr.  Zabriskie,  whose  ancestors  came  to  this 
country  from  Poland  early  in  the  Seventeenth 
Century,  was  born  in  New  York  City  in  1868 
and  upon  the  completion  of  his  education  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  representative  of  the 
Pillsbury  Mills.  He  eventually  succeeded  to  the 
business  and  now  handles  the  output  of  these 
well-known  mills,  which  is  one  of  the  largest  mill- 
ing organizations  in  the  United  States.  He  has 
charge  of  the  Metropolitan  District,  which  takes 
in  the  States  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  part 
of  Connecticut  and  the  export  territory  which  em- 
braces the  entire  world.  This  long  experience  in 
the  one  field  will  make  Mr.  Zabriskie's  services 
of  inestimable  value  to  the  Government  in  the 
present  crisis  and  insure  to  the  consumer  consistent 
prices.  Mr.  Zabriskie  is  one  of  the  most  popular 
men  on  the  Produce  Exchange  and  is  a  member 
of  many  social  and  trade  organizations,  among 
which  are  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
United  States  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Merchants 
Association,  New  York  Produce  Exchange,  Ne^v 
York  Board  of  Trade  and  Transportation,  India 
House,  Englewood  Country  Club,  and  Knicker- 
bocker Country  Club.  He  is  a  life  member  of  the 
New  York  Athletic  Club,  the  Holland  Society, 
Salamagunde  Club,  Horticultural  Society,  Ameri- 
can Geographical  Society,  American  Red  Cross 
Society,  American  Jersey  Cattle  Club,  Sons  of 
the  American  Revolution,  Old  Colony  Club  and 
the  New  York  Press  Club.  Mr.  Zabriskie's  of- 
fices are  in  the  Produce  Exchange  Building. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


331 


332 


^'ElV    YORK  -OLD    AND  NEW 


DANIEL  E. 

Daniel  E.  Storms,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
figure  in  the  legal  and  political  circles  of  Indiana, 
relinquished  law  and  official  life  for  industrial 
pursuits  and  now  aids  in  the  management  and  di- 
rection of  several  large  manufacturmg  concerns 
from  this  city,  where  he  makes  his  home.  Mr. 
Storms  was  born  in  LaFayette,  Indiana,  fifty 
years  ago  and  was  educated  at  Purdue  University 
and  the  University  of  Michigan,  obtaining  the 
LL.  B.  degree  upon  graduation  from  the  latter 
in  1893.  He  was  immediately  admitted  to  the 
bar  and  began  practice  in  his  home  city.  His 
years  of  private  practice  were  few  as  the  prom- 
inence he  obtained  in  his  profession  led  to  his  be- 
ing called  to  public  life  and  he  held  various  offices 
of  trust  until  he  finally  retired  to  devote  .his  time 
to  manufacturing  mterests.  He  was  appointed 
Master  Commissioner  of  the  Tippecanoe  Circuit 
Court  and  served  as  Corporation  Counsel  for  six 
years,  being  later  appomted  by  the  Legislature  of 
Indiana  together  with  Judge  Howard  of  the 
Supreme  Court  and  Judge  Chipman  to  codify  the 
laws  of  the  State.  At  different  periods  he  was 
Deputy  District  Attorney  of  Tippecanoe  County, 
a  member  of  the  State  Tax  Board  and  served  one 
term  as  Secretary  of  State.  His  various  positions 
brought  him  in  close  touch  with  many  different 
business  concerns  and  as  a  result  he  became  inter- 
ested in  industrial  pursuits  and  eventually  gave 
up  legal  and  official  work  to  devote  his  entire  time 
to  manufacturing.  Among  others  to  receive  his  at- 
tention was  the  Dauch  Manufacturing  Company, 
of  Sandusky,  Ohio,  which  manufactures  the  "San- 
dusky Tractor."  Mr.  Storms  is  a  Director  o! 
this  corporation  and  its  Export  Manager.  While 
abroad  in  1916,  in  the  interests  of  the  company, 
he  made  several  large  contracts  for  the  tractors. 
These  centralized  his  business  interests  in  New 
York  City  and  he  decided  to  remain  here  per- 
manently. In  addition  to  his  interest  in  the  Dauch 
Manufacturing  Company,  Mr.  Storms  is  Presi- 
dent of  the  Argentine  Mercantile  Corporation  and 


STORMS 

the  Majestic  Machine  and  Tool  Company;  Vice- 
President  of  the  Premier  Special  Machinery  Cor- 
poration ;  President  of  the  Pahaquarry  Mines  Cor- 
poration; Secretary  and  a  Director  of  the  Meta- 
phase  Code  Corporation  and  a  Director  of 
the  Briti.'h-.American  Metallurgical  Corporation. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Pereistrous 
h  Storms,  which  has  charge  of  the  manufac- 
turing of  gauges,  tools  and  dies  for  several  of 
the  largest  manufacturing  concerns  in  the  United 
States.  Mr.  Storms'  life  has  been  a  very 
busy  one.  While  a  resident  of  Indiana  he  was 
most  active  in  politics  and  numbers  among  his 
closest  friends  ex- Vice-President  Charles  W.  Fair- 
banks, of  whom  he  is  a  great  admirer.  He  was 
many  times  a  delegate  to  the  conventions  of  his 
party,  frequently  figured  conspicuously  in  the  coun- 
cils of  its  leaders,  and  as  an  orator  rendered 
valiant  service  in  its  campaigns.  Mr.  Storms  is  a 
man  of  strong  personality  and  is  mentally  and 
physically  equipped  for  hard  and  arduous  work. 
He  comes  from  old  Holland  stock,  his  parents  be- 
ing Abner  and  Philetta  (Jackson)  Storms.  His 
paternal  ancestors  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  New  Amsterdam,  now  New  York  City,  while 
his  mother  was  distantly  related  to  ex-President 
Andrew  Jackson,  in  which  connection  she  took 
great  pride.  Mr.  Storms  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  and  Kappa  Sigma  Fraternities  and  is 
deeply  interested  in  the  work  of  the  latter.  Dur- 
ing the  St.  Louis  Exposition  the  Kappa  Sigma 
Fraternity  met  in  conclave  in  that  city.  There 
were  representatives  of  about  fifty  universities 
present  who  were  welcomed  by  Hon.  David  R. 
Francis,  then  President  of  the  Exposition  and  now 
Minister  to  Russia.  Out  of  this  large  representa- 
tion Mr.  Storms  had  the  honor  of  being  selected  to 
respond  to  Mr.  Francis'  speech. 

Mr.  Storms  married  Hattie  M.  Kerr,  of  Sugar 
Grove,  Indiana,  the  union  bringing  a  son  and  a 
daughter.  He  resides  at  370  Cential  Park  West, 
and  his  offices  are  at  42  Broadway. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


333 


Daniel  E.  Storms 


Prominent    in    the    Management    and    Direction    of    Several  Large 
Manufacturing    Concerns.      A    Recent  Acquisition 
From    the    State    of  Indiana. 


334 


NEW    YORK-OLD    AND  NEW 


EGLKS  I  ON  BROS.  &  C  O. 
1  he  present  firm  of  Egleston  Bros.  &  Co., 
Iron  merchants,  dates  from  1829,  when  it  was 
founded  by  Egleston  &  Battell.  Upon  the  admis- 
sion to  partnership  of  Mr.  Egleston's  son,  the  firm 
became  Egleston,  Battell  &  Co.  and,  following 
the  death  of  the  senior  Egleston,  the  present  firm 
name  was  adopted.  Albert  H.  Bragg,  now  senior 
member  of  the  firm,  became  clerk  for  Egleston 
Bros.  &  Co.  in  1871.  He  was  admitted  to  part- 
nership with  a  Mr.  Proctor  in  1 889  and  these 
two  became  sole  j^roprietors  of  the  business  in 
1898,  following  the  death  of  David  Egleston, 
Mr.  Battell  having  died  previously.  Upon  the 
death  of  Mr.  Proctor  in  1914,  Mr.  Bragg 
assumed  control  of  the  business  January  I,  1915, 
and  on  January  1 ,  1 9 1  7,  he  admitted  his  sons, 
Albert  J.,  and  Edward  H.  Bragg,  to  partnership, 
continuing  the  eld  firm  name.  Egleston  Bros.  & 
Co.  are  located  at  1 66  South  Street,  handy  to 
water  and  freight  transportation.  Bar  iron,  steel, 
black,  and  galvanized  sheets,  shapes  and  structural 
material  are  handled  and  a  specialty  is  made  of 
high  grade  irons,  particularly  Burden's  Best  Bar 
Iron  and  Burden's  H.  B.  &  S.  Bar  Iron.  The 
trade  is  principally  local  although  considerable 
material  is  shipped  to  out-of-town  points.  Since 
Mr.  Bragg's  control  of  the  business  the  trade  has 
increased  considerably  and  this  is  not  entirely  the 
result  of  improved  conditions  but  is  in  part  due  to 
Mr.  Bragg's  long  experience  and  knowledge,  and 
the  persistent  attention  he  gives  to  every  detail  of 
purchase  and  sale. 


.\LBER  1  JOSl-Pl  1  SELIGMAN 

/Mbert  J.  Sehgman,  of  the  stock  brokerage  firm 
of  Seligman  &  Myers,  who  relinquished  many  of 
his  Montana  interests  to  give  his  children  the  benefit 
of  New  York's  educational  institutions,  is  a  Civil 
and  Mining  Engineer  by  profession,  who  for  years 
figured  in  the  development  of  Western  copper,  and 
various  commercial  enterprises.  Mr.  Seligman  was 
born  in  New  York  City,  February  24.  1859,  the 
son  of  Jesse  and  Henrietta  (Hellman)  Seligman. 
He  was  educated  in  private  schools  and  at  the 
Renssalaer  Polytechnic  Institute,  Troy,  N.  Y., 
and  afterwards  took  courses  at  the  Royal  School 
of  Mines,  Freiberg,  Saxony,  and  the  Royal  School 
of  Mines,  Liege,  Belgium,  which  he  attended  from 
1878  until  1880.  In  the  latter  year  he  returned 
to  this  country  and  went  at  once  to  Helena,  Mon- 
tana, where  he  acquired  interests  in  several  mines. 
During  his  residence  in  the  Western  city,  Mr. 
Seligman  was  very  prominent  in  political,  commer 
cial  and  social  circles.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Territorial  Legislature  of  Montana  in  1884-85; 
Chairman  of  the  Republican  State  Committee, 
1889-90,  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Montana 
delegation  to  the  National  Republican  Convention 
held  at  Minneapolis  in  1892.  He  was  formerly 
President  of  Bach,  Coy  &  Co.  and  Vice-Presi- 
dent of  the  American  National  Bank  of 
Helena;  was  Grand  Chancellor  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  of  Montana  in  1888-90  and  Exalted 
Ruler  of  Helena  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E..  in  1897-98. 
He  is  at  the  present  time  President  of  the  Butte 
Copper  and  Zinc  Co.  and  a  Director  of  the  Gold- 
field  Daisy  Mining  Syndicate  and  many  other 
western  enterprises.  December  22,  1  886,  he  married 
Lillian  Glazier.  They  have  two  children,  Jesse  and 
Renee  C.  Seligman.  When  these  arrived  at  an 
educational  age,  Mr.  Seligman  decided  to  remove 
to  New  York  City,  where  they  could  have  the 
advantages  of  the  best  scholastic  institutions.  He 
thereupon  closed  out  his  most  exacting  business 
connections  in  Helena  and  settled  in  the  metropolis. 
His  Western  life  had  been  one  of  the  greatest  ac- 
tivity and,  finding  existence  intolerable  without 
something  to  employ  his  mind  and  energy,  he 
organized  the  firm  of  Seligman  &  Meyer.  This 
firm  is  engaged  in  the  general  brokerage  business, 
with  offices  at  61  Broadway,  and  has  been  one 
of  the  most  successful  financial  houses  in  the  city. 
It  has  a  large  clientele,  connections  in  various  large 
cities,  and  enjoys  a  high  reputation  for  business 
integrity  and  expedition  in  its  various  transactions. 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


335 


THE  HOUSE  OF  A.  SILZ 

"The  House  of  A.  Silz,"  which  is  the  largest 
in  the  world  handling  poultry,  game  and  meat 
specialties,  was  founded  in  1 898  by  August  Silz 
in  a  modest  store  on  Washington  Street  and  in  the 
score  of  years  that  has  mtervened  its  growth  has 
been  phenomenal.  As  the  business  grew  new- 
quarters  were  found  necessary  and  these  have  been 
added  to  until  the  floor  acreage  now  includes  the 
buildings  414,  416  and  418  West  14th  Street 
and  that  at  419  West  13th  Street.  The 
enormous  increase  in  output  can  be  seen  by  the 
growth  of  the  telephone  calls,  by  which  the  major 
portion  of  the  business  is  conducted.  In  1  905  these 
numbered   103,400  and  in   1915  over  382,000 


"The  House  of  A.  Silz" 

Main  Warehouses  and  Executive  Offices 


were  required.  Hotels,  restaurants,  clubs,  steam- 
ships, dining  cars  and  retail  butchers  are  numbered 
among  the  vast  army  of  satisfied  customers  and  the 
trade  territory  covers  the  entire  United  States.  The 
order  department  is  open  all  night  and  a  special 
delivery  service  is  maintained  until  9  P.  M.,  the 
regular  delivery  being  resumed  at  5  A.  M.  The 
firm  has  1  60  employees  and  a  perfect  organization 
conducted  along  scientific  business  efficiency  lines. 
This  insures  prompt  and  satisfactory  service  and 
the  entire  absence  of  those  tedious  delays  and  un- 
satisfactory methods  that  are  often  most  detrimental 
to  an  otherwise  good  business.  The  President  of 
"The  House  of  A.  Silz"  is  August  Silz,  Vice- 
Presidents  E.  Flauraud  and  O.  H.  Steinberg, 
Andre  Silz  and  Secretary,  A.  Godchaud. 


WILLIAM  H.  S  riLES 

The  immense  growth  of  the  rubber  business  and 
the  important  part  it  plays  in  the  increased  imports, 
can  be  surmised  from  the  many  firms  now  handhng 
the  product.     Among  the  first  to  enter  this  field 


xsas  William  H.  Stiles,  of  79  Wall  Street,  whose 
long  experience  in  the  importing  business  has 
brought  an  expert  knowledge  of  crude  rubber  that 
enables  him  to  secure  the  best  the  producing  mar- 
kets afford.  Mr.  Stiles  was  born  in  Brooklyn  in 
March,  1878,  and  upon  the  completion  of  his 
schooling  entered  the  employ  of  an  importing 
house,  where  he  familiarized  himself  with  every 
detail  of  the  business.  He  later  became  a  mem- 
ber of  the  firm  of  Robinson  &  Tallman,  which 
subsequently  became  Robinson  &  Stiles.  Since 
June  1 ,  1 908.  Mr.  Stiles  has  operated  alone, 
assisted  by  his  brother,  Lynn  D.  Stiles,  and  dur- 
ing the  intervening  time  has  materially  increased 
his  business,  removed  his  offices  to  his  present  com- 
modious quarters  and  played  an  important  part  in 
the  development  of  the  trade.  He  imports  crude 
rubber,  principally  plantation  grades,  and  sells  to 
manufacturers  direct  and  through  brokers,  his 
trade  territory  covering  the  entire  United  States 
and  Canada.  Mr.  Stiles  is  a  member  of  the 
Crescent  Athletic  Club  and  the  North  Fork  Coun- 
try Club  of  Cutchogue,  L.  I. 


336 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


WILLIAM  C.  FORTH 

States,  Mr.  Porlh  has  opened  another  packing 
plant  at  Sayville,  Long  Island,  where  he  is  pack- 
ing Blue  Point  Oysters  in  individual  packages  and 
has  just  started  marketing  these  in  New  York 
City.  He  has  great  faith  that  the  people  of  this 
city  will  appreciate  the  superior  qualities  of  the 
oysters  packed  in  these  packages  and  the  fact  that 
the  package^  are  filled  and  sealed  at  the  beds 
and  not  opened  until  they  reach  the  consumer's 
home.  The  New  York  City  office  for  the  indi- 
vidual package  is  in  the  Marbridge  Building — 
34th  Street  and  Broadway. 

Mr.  Forth  owns  extensive  oyster  beds  in  se- 
lected waters,  which  produce  the  finest  quality  of 
oysters  grown  and  with  the  addition  of  the  two 
new  plants  is  in  a  position  to  give  his  customers 
any  quantity  of  oysters  and  a  wide  choice  of  va- 
rieties and  sizes  of  the  choicest  stock. 

Few  people  realize  the  care  required  in  pre- 
paring the  oyster  for  market.  In  the  first  place 
the  selection  of  seed  is  of  great  importance,  and 
these  seeds  Mr.  Forth  gets  from  the  finest  stock 
produced  in  Connecticut  and  Long  Island  where 


William  C.  Forth,  the  largest 
handler  of  opened  oysters  in  the 
city,  has  made  a  close  and  exhaust- 
ive study  of  the  planting,  growing 
and  marketing  of  the  bivalves.  The 
knowledge  derived  from  his  seventeen  years  active 
experience  enables  him  to  give  the  finest  grade 
goods  and  best  information  obtamable  to  his  cus- 
tomers, who  are  located  throughout  the  United 
States,  Canada,  Mexico,  Panama,  England  and 
Denmark. 

Mr.  Porth's  New  York  City  packing  plant  is 
located  at  the  foot  of  Pike  Street  on  Pier  32, 
East  River,  where  a  large  force  of  openers  and 
packers  is  employed  preparing  the  oysters  for  ship- 
ment. Due  to  the  steady  growth  of  his  business 
this  plant  was  found  madequate  to  handle  the  ever 
increasing  trade  and  this  year  he  has  taken  over 
an  opening  and  packing  plant  at  Perth  Amboy. 
New  Jersey. 

Always  having  great  faith  in  the  package  busi- 
ness which  has  now  firmly  established  itself  in  all 
lines  of  commercial  endeavor  throughout  the  United 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


337 


the  oysters  spawn.  In  a  series  of  articles  prepared 
by  Mr.  Forth  and  mailed  to  his  trade  in  weekly 
installments  he  has  explamed  how  defenseless  the 
spawn  is  and  how  fish  will  consume,  or  a  current 
of  cold  water  destroy  and  how  the  "cultch"  or 
empty  shell  is  necessary  to  the  growth  of  the  young 
bivalve.  When  the  seed  is  a  year  old  it  is  trans- 
ferred to  the  maturing  grounds  and  out  of  mil- 
lions of  spawn  only  a  negligible  percentage  sur- 
vive. It  takes  three  years  for  an  oyster  to  mature 
and  the  percentage  of  loss  is  added  to  by  the 
depredations  of  the  "borer"  or  snail,  the  mussel, 
the  drum  fish,  and  the  periwinkle.  In  dredging, 
the  good  oysters  are  separated  from  all  foreign 
substances,  are  loaded  on  the  decks  of  power  boat= 
and  quickly  transferred  to  different  packing  houses. 

The  utmost  care  is  used  to  have  them  go  out 
to  the  jobber  and  retailer  in  an  absolutely  clean 
and  fresh  condition.  Fresh  oysters  never  harmed 
anyone.  The  only  danger  lies  in  the  stock  be- 
coming spoiled  and  the  same  risk  is  applicable  to 
any  perishable  article.  You  are  protected  if  you 
deal  with  a  reliable  retailer  and  doubly  protected 
if  you  buy  the  individual  package  backed  by  Mi. 
Forth's  sjuarr.niee  of  quality  and  freshness. 

He  shows  how  the  theory  that  oysters  transmit 
typhoid  germs  is  wrong  and  explodes  the  "green 
gill"  hoax  by  medical  authority;  and  proves  that 
his  oysters  are  grown  in  the  pure  ocean  waters  and 
packed  as  carefully  as  a  druggist  fills  a  prescrip- 
tion. He  also  shows  that  New  York  is  the  un- 
disputed leader  in  quality — producing  the  fines! 
oysters  in  the  world,  with  the  largest  percentage 
of  solids.  In  any  city  in  the  United  States  you 
will  find  New  York  oysters  on  the  menu  of  all 
the  best  hotels  and  restaurants. 

The  New  York  oyster  is  of  high  food  value 
and  Mr.  Forth  contends  that  the  bivalve  is  the 
natural  food  of  the  country.  Baseball  and  poker, 
he  states,  may  vie  with  each  other  as  the  national 
game,  but  the  oyster  has  no  competitor  as  the 
national  food. 

The  succulent  bivalve  has  become  a  staple  and 
the  demand  for  it  will  greatly  increase  when  the 
public  is  educated  to  the  great  nutritive  value  and 
safety  of  the  food,  for  the  oyster  is  a  pure  food 
and  should  never  be  classed  as  a  luxury. 


It  is  particularly  rich  in  those  elements  that  are 
required  to  repair  overworked  brains  of  debilitated 
nervous  systems,  and  there  is  more  food  value  in 
oysters,  for  less  money,  than  in  any  other  food. 

The  various  monographs  on  the  oyster  which 
Mr.  Forth  has  prepared  show  that  he  has  made 
a  scientific  study  of  the  subject.  He  traces  the  in- 
dustry in  America  back  to  I  620,  when  Capt.  John 
Smith,  of  Focahontas  fame,  who  traded  in  Hamp- 
ton Roads,  Va.,  handled  the  oyster  commercially, 
and  shows  the  growth  of  the  business  from  that 
time  until  now,  when  the  annual  output  in  the 
United  States  is  over  5,000,000,000. 

This  increase  has  made  improvements  in  the 
dredging  necessary.  Originally  this  was  done  by 
rakes  or  tongs  operated  by  hand  from  flat  boats. 
Fower  dredges  are  now  used  that  bring  up  from 
fifteen  to  ihirfy  bushels  of  oysters  at  one  time.  The 
boats  used  are  steam  or  gasoline  propelled  and 
have  an  average  capacity  of  1 ,000  bushels,  which, 
on  a  good  bed,  can  be  secured  in  a  couple  of  hours. 

Mr.  Forth  is  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee of  New  York  Wholesale  Oyster  Dealers' 
Association,  an  organization  that  labors  assiduously 
to  secure  absolute  sanitation.  It  works  constantly 
ro  improve  methods  of  planting,  handling  and 
?hip]->ine:  oysters;  keeps  a  keen  eye  on  legislation 
and  adjusts  all  disputes.  It  works  in  harmony 
with  other  associations  for  the  benefit  of  the  in- 
dustry and  the  men  engaged  therein  and  they  claim 
that  no  other  food  is  so  thoroughly  inspected. 

Mr.  Forth  was  born  in  New  York  City  in 
1881  and  educated  there.  After  leaving  school 
he  was  associated  with  his  father,  John  Forth,  a 
former  hotel  owner  who,  after  retiring  from  busi- 
ness, started  again  as  a  planter  and  packer  of 
oysters.  The  son  began  business  for  himself  in 
I  900,  and  has  increased  the  annual  output  to  over 
20.000.000  oysters.  He  is  a  member  of  The 
Oyster  Growers'  and  Dealers'  Association  of 
North  America  and  one  of  the  first  members  of 
The  Guarantee  Shippers'  League,  a  new  organi- 
zation of  sea  food  shippers  whose  slogan  is  "A 
square  deal  to  the  dealer". 

Mr.  Forth  was  married  in  1907  to  Miss 
-Amelia  M.  Heineman  and  has  one  son  and  two 
daughters. 


Rational  :iood  ofJmer>^^A' 


338 


NEIV    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


1  IL  Gl  I  J.  CHISHOLM 
(Deceased) 

Hugh  J.  Chisholm.  one  of  the  leading  paper 
manufacturers  of  the  United  States,  was  born  at 
Niagara  Falls,  Canada,  May  2.  1847.  He  be- 
gan his  business  career  at  the  age  of  twelve  years 
as  a  train  boy  selling  candies  and  newspapers, 
finally  purchasing  the  business  from  his  employer? 
out  of  his  savings.  He  sold  out  to  his  brothers 
in  1 880  and  removed  to  Portland,  Maine,  where 
he  became  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  pulp. 
In  1887  he  organized  the  Otis  Falls  Paper  Co., 
which  began  the  manufacture  of  paper  at  Liver- 
more  Falls.  In  1 898  Mr.  Chisholm  participated 
in  the  organization  of  the  International  Paper  Co., 
of  which  he  was  President  for  ten  years.  Subse- 
quently he  organized  the  Oxford  Paper  Co.,  at 
Rumford  Falls,  Maine,  and  developed  that  wil- 
derness into  a  thriving  city,  with  broad  streets,  parks 
and  model  homes  of  substantial  brick  construction 
where  people  of  small  means  could  enjoy  the  com- 
forts of  life  at  a  low  rental.  He  also  developed 
the  transportation  facilities  and  before  his  death, 
July  8,  1912,  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  various 
manufacturing  industries  and  other  business  enter- 
prises located  in  the  city  of  his  creation  which 
is  at  once  the  pride  of  its  citizens  and  of  the  .State. 
Mr.  Chisholm  was  a  Director  in  many  corpora- 
tions and  was  President  of  the  Oxford  Paper  Com- 
pany up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  left  a  widow 
and  a  son,  Hugh  J.  Chisholm,  who  succeeded  his 
father  as  the  head  of  various  industries. 


ADOLPH  HIRSCH  &  CO. 

Adolph  Hirsch  &  Co.,  among  the  city's  largest 
firms  handling  South  American  and  Tropical 
produce,  are  located  In  the  World  Building,  53- 
63  Park  Row.  Since  its  organization  the  firm 
has  been  engaged  in  importing  and  distributing 
rubber  of  various  descriptions,  such  as  Manicoba 
Scrap,  Mangabeira  Sheet,  both  crude  and  washed. 
Paras  and  Plantations;  also  Flint  Dry,  Dry  and 
Wet  Salted  Cow  and  Ox  Hides  from  South 
America;  Calf,  Goat  and  Sheep  Skins  in  the  hair, 
as  well  as  Pickled  Sheep  and  Lamb  Skins  from 
New  Zealand,  Australia  and  South  America. 
They  specialize  in  Brazilian  Waxes,  Gums  and 
Ipecac.  One  department  of  their  business  is  en- 
tirely devoted  to  the  Brazilian  Rough  Diamond 
and  Carbon  (Black  Diamond)  trade.  The  sales 
territory  of  Adolph  Hirsch  &  Co.  embraces  the 
entire  United  States  and  Canada  and  every  com- 
mercial center  where  such  produce  is  in  demand 
is  reached  by  the  firm's  representatives.  Cable 
address  "Adhirschco". 

The  offices  in  the  World  Building  are  especially 
equipped  for  the  prompt  dispatch  of  the  firm's 
large  business. 


EDWARD  G.  BROENNIMAN 

Edward  G.  Broenniman,  President  of  the 
Broenniman  Company.  Inc.,  wholesale  flour  and 
grain  merchants  and  exporters,  is  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  figures  operating  on  the  New  York 
Produce  Exchange,  having  gained  an  international 
reputation  by  reason  of  his  activity  in  relieving  tho 
people  of  the  various  nations  impoverished  by  the 
European  war.  Mr.  Broenniman  was  born  at 
Watertown,  Wisconsin,  where  his  family,  of  Swiss 
origin,  made  their  home  for  several  generations. 
He  came  to  New  York  City  twenty  years  ago 
and  since  that  time  has  been  an  active  and  prom- 
inent member  of  the  New  York  Produce  Exchange. 
He  was  elected  to  its  Board  of  Managers  in 
1910.  re-elected  for  a  second  term  two  years  later 
and  in  June.  1914.  was  unanimously  chosen  to 
the  Vice-P  residency.  In  December,  1914,  he 
was  drafted  for  duty  with  the  then  forming  Com- 
mission for  Relief  in  Belgium,  organized  its  pur- 
chasing department  and  has  been  in  continuous 
active  charge  of  it  since.  Because  of  the  magni- 
tude of  this  task  he  was  obliged  to  refuse  higher 
honors  from  the  New  York  Produce  Exchange 
and  retired  as  Vice-President  in  June,  1915.  Ai 
head  of  the  purchasing  department  of  the  Commis- 
sion for  Relief  in  Belgium  he  has  spent  up  to  the 
present  time  over  $200,000,000. 

Since  August  first  of  this  year  he  has  also  un- 
dertaken to  act  as  purchasing  agent  for  the  Ameri- 
can Red  Cross  in  the  matter  of  its  extensive  and 
rapidly  growing  foodstuffs  requirements  in  Europe. 

When  Mr.  Herbert  Hoover  in  April  last,  re- 
turned to  this  country  in  connection  with  the  in- 
ternational food  problem  and  accepted  the  difficult 
post  as  Food  Administrator  at  Washington,  he 
promptly  called  Mr.  Broenniman  into  conference 
because  of  his  peculiar  qualifications  and  the  ex- 
ceptional experience  accumulated  through  his  vast 
purchases  of  foodstuffs  for  the  I  0.000,000  people 
of  Belgium  and  Northern  France.  He  has  since 
spent  a  portion  of  each  week  in  Washington,  when 
his  other  duties  would  permit,  and  has  rendered 
invaluable  aid  in  various  important  phases  of  the 
preliminary  organization  and  subsequent  activities 
of  the  United  States  Food  Administration. 

Mr.  Broenniman  is  a  member  and  former  Gov- 
ernor of  the  New  York  Athletic  Club,  member 
of  the  Union  League  Club.  Republican  Club  and 
Press  Club  of  New  York  City,  the  Seabright, 
New  Jersey  Beach  Club,  Clove  Valley  Rod  and 
Gun  Club,  of  Dutchess  County.  New  York 
Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art,  the  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, U.  S.  A. 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


339 


340 


NEW    YORK—OID    AND  NEW 


STANDARD  COMMERCIAL  TOBACCO  COMPANY 


Ery  Kehaya,  President 


There  are  few  organizations  in  the  United 
States  that  maintain  such  an  extensive  European 
jervice  as  the  Standard  Commercial  Tobacco  Com- 
pany, whose  offices  are  at  120  Broadway.  New 
York  City,  of  which  Ery  Eurpidies  Kehaya  ii 
President.  Branch  offices  and  warehouses  in 
Japan,  Russia,  Greece  and  Macedonia  have  been 
the  means  of  giving  the  company  steady  volume 


of  tobacco  shipments  that  could  have  been  obtained 
in  no  other  way.  Under  the  direction  of  the  of- 
ficials of  the  company,  who  are  all  expert  tobacco 
men,  the  buyers  go  into  the  various  markets,  pick- 
ing and  chotising  the  best  grades  of  leaf,  which 
find  ready  sale  in  the  United  States.  Recently  the 
company  received  5,000,000  pounds  of  leaf  to- 
bacco. This  is  the  high-water  mark  in  tobacco  con- 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


341 


signments.  Some  of  the  steamers  that  brought  this 
immense  cargo  to  the  Standard  Commercial  Tobac- 
co Company  were  tied  up  at  Algiers  for  several 
months,  pending  negotiations  between  the  State  De- 
partment and  the  French  Government.  The  com- 
pany is  seven  years  old  but  has  already  taken  its 
place  among  the  leading  importers  of  the  finer 
grade  tobacco  in  the  United  States,  frequently 
purchasing  several  million  pounds  at  one  time.  It 
has  in  operation  several  tobacco  plants  in 
Greece,  where  it  is  proposed  to  manufacture  the 
Eastern  product  for  this  market.  These  plants 
will  at  the  outstart  employ  upwards  of  1 0- 
000  persons.  Pendmg  the  opening  of  these 
factories  the  company  is  steadily  receiving  foreign 
tobacco  in  quantities  that  are  far  in  excess  of  pre- 
vious importations.  Last  year  the  company's  total 
imports  amounted  to  8.000,000  pounds  and  it  is 
now  arranging  for  its  own  steamers  to  handle  the 
enormous  tonnage. 

The  President  of  the  Standard  Commercial 
Tobacco  Company  is  Ery  E.  Kehaya,  who 
came  to  New  York  City  from  Greece  seven 
years  ago  and  engaged  in  business  as  a  broker 
in  Turkish  tobacco.  He  was  only  twenty-eight 
years  old  at  that  time  and  his  operations  were  con- 
ducted on  a  small  scale.  As  he  began  to  realize 
the  possibilities  in  foreign  tobaccos  he  determined 
to  become  an  important  factor  in  the  trade  and 
with  this  end  in  view  organized  the  present  com- 
pany with  a  capital  of  $1 ,500,000.  He  is  looked 
upon  as  a  genius  in  the  tobacco  trade,  his  wonder- 
ful achievement  in  a  few  years  compelling  even 
his  competitors  to  pay  him  this  tribute.  The  other 
officers  of  the  company  are:  Vice-Presidents 
George  O.  Jones,  J.  Valensi,  R.  S.  Amado  and 
Sava  Kehaya;  Treasurer,  William  B.  Whitakcr; 
Secretary,  M.  S.  Amado;  Traffic  Manager, 
Harry  D.  Meyer,  P.  J.  Bidding,  Assistant,  and 
Comptroller,  Ira  B.  Robbins. 

The  Russian  branch  of  the  company  is  looked 
after  by  George  Mills,  Vice-President  and  Man- 
aging Director  of  the  Standard  Commercial  Trad- 
ing Company,  who  is  assisted  by  Forrest  E.  Stan- 
cliff.  These  officials  have  been  unusually  busy 
in  developing  the  efficiency  of  the  Russian  branch 
and  were  recently  aided  in  the  work  by  Vice- 
President  George  O.  Jones  and  Traffic  Manager 
Harry  D.  Meyer,  who  went  to  Russia  to  look 
the  field  over.  Vice-Presidents  J.  Valensi  and 
R.  S.  Amado  make  frequent  trips  to  Greece  and 
Macedonia  to  look  after  the  company's  interests 
in  those  countries. 


They  have  been  through  the  war  zone  several 
times  within  the  last  year,  encountering  many 
dangers. 

On  account  of  the  company  having  difficulty  in 
bringing  tobacco  from  its  own  warehouses  in  Greece, 
the  Standard  Commercial  Steamship  Corporation 
was  recently  organized  and  is  operating  between 
Greece  and  New  York  for  the  Standard  Commer- 
cial Tobacco  Company's  own  use.  The  company 
controls  large  parcels  of  land  in  Greece,  where 
it  raises,  manipulates,  packs  and  ships  its  own  to- 
baccos to  New  York.  After  the  war  the  company 
expects  to  branch  out  in  all  the  main  cities  of 
Europe. 

In  addition  to  the  Presidency  of  the  Standard 
Commercial  Tobacco  Company,  Inc.,  Mr.  Kehaya 
is  President  of  the  Standard  Commercial  Steam- 
ship Corporation,  Director  of  the  Standard  Com- 
mercial Trading  Corporation,  President  of  the 
Greek  Orthodox  Community,  President  of  the 
Greek  American  National  Union,  Director  of  the 
Greek  Merchants'  Association  and  a  member  of 
the  Democratic  Club.  He  was  married  on  June 
30,  1917,  to  Miss  Grace  Buxton  Whitaker  of 
Winston-Salem,  North  Carolina,  a  daughter  of 
William  B.  Whitaker,  deceased,  who  was  one  of 
the  oldest  tobacco  producers  and  manufacturers  in 
this  country  and  a  very  successful  business  man. 
He  died  five  years  ago  leaving  a  widow,  Mrs. 
William  B.  Whitaker,  four  sons  and  one  daughter. 
The  eldest  son,  W.  B.  Whitaker,  is  Professor  of 
Chemistry  in  the  University  of  Kansas,  and 
Treasurer  of  the  Standard  Commercial  Tobacco 
Company.  The  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Kehaya, 
comes  from  one  of  the  oldest  southern  families 
and  is  related  to  many  of  the  prominent  society 
people  of  Winston-Salem.  She  is  a  niece  of  Wil- 
liam B.  Reynolds  of  the  R.  J.  Reynolds  Tobacco 
Company  and  is  a  member  of  many  societies  and 
charitable  organizations  in  the  South  and  an  active 
member  of  the  Red  Cross.  Mr.  Kehaya,  who 
bears  a  high  reputation  in  business  circles  and  who 
is  considered  an  expert  in  the  tobacco  trade,  be- 
lieves in  hard  work.  He  is  at  his  desk  at  8:30 
every  morning,  from  which  he  directs,  with  the 
assistance  of  his  business  lieutenants,  all  branches 
of  the  company,  by  cable.  He  is  now  planning 
to  organize  the  Standard  Commercial  Export  & 
Finance  Corporation,  to  engage  in  the  exporting 
of  merchandise  from  here  to  various  countries  and 
for  the  erection  of  a  building  to  be  used  as  a 
warehouse  and  executive  offices  for  the  various 
enterprises  in  which  he  is  interested. 


342 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


I£RNES1  KLLIN'GER  &  CO. 
Ernest  Eilinger  &  Co.,  packers  and  importers 
of  Havana  tobacco,  are  among  the  large  handlers 
of  high  grade  leaf  in  the  city.  The  firm  was  or- 
ganized in  1905,  by  Mr.  Eilinger,  who  brought 
to  the  business  a  complete  knowledge  of  tobacco 
by  reason  of  eighteen  years'  experience  as  a  cigar 
manufacturer,  with  factories  in  Tampa  and  New 
York,  during  which  period  he  selected  the  leaf 
for  his  product  and  became  expert  in  every  grade 
of  tobacco  used  in  the  finer  cigars.  His  judgment 
along  this  line  and  the  care  he  exercises  in  pack- 
ing have  brought  a  large  trade  to  the  firm,  which 
numbers  among  its  customers  many  of  the  larger 
manufacturers  of  high  grade  cigars.  The  annual 
turnover  of  Ernest  Eilinger  &  Co.  runs  from 
10,000  to  15,000  bales  of  tobacco.  The  firm 
specializes  in  the  Cuban-grown  product,  but  at 
times  handles  tobaccos  from  the  West  Indies  and 
South  America.  The  offices  are  at  133-137 
Front  Street  and  a  branch  is  operated  at  Salud 
No.  15,  Havana,  Cuba,  where  the  tobacco  is 
carefully  selected  and  prepared  for  shipment  to 
this  country. 


RICKETTS  &  COMPANY.  INC. 

Ricketts  &  Company,  Inc.,  who  are  engaged  in 
the  business  of  examining  mines,  investigating  pro- 
cesses, analyzing  and  assaying  ores  and  all  chem- 
ical and  metallurgical  products  and  giving  expert 
advice  on  the  operation  of  mines  and  processes, 
have  fully  equipped  laboratories  and  maintain  a 
corps  of  competent  engineers  for  the  investigation 
of  properties  and  processes.  The  head  of  the  or- 
ganization is  Pierre  de  Peyster  Ricketts,  who  was 
born  in  Brooklyn  in  1 849  and  graduated  from 
the  Columbia  University  School  of  Mines  in 
1871,  with  the  E.  M.  degree,  being  awarded  the 
Ph.  D.  degree  by  the  same  institution  in  1876. 
He  began  the  practice  of  his  profession  at  once 
and  in  1878  became  associated  with  Ledoux  & 
Co.,  which  subsequently  became  Ledoux  &  Rick- 
etts. His  firm  became  Ricketts  &  Banks  after 
separation  from  Mr.  Ledoux,  and  continued  as 
such  until  its  dissolution  in  March,  1915,  when 
Dr.  Ricketts  organized  the  present  company  with 
offices  at  80  Maiden  Lane.  Dr.  Ricketts  was 
assistant  in  mineralogy  at  Columbia  University. 
1871-2,  and  assaying.  1872-7.  He  was  in- 
structor 1877-83;  professor,  1885-93,  when  he 
was  made  professor  of  analytical  chemistry  and 
assaying,  a  position  he  retained  until  1900.  Dr. 
Ricketts  is  a  Fellow  of  the  A.  A.  A.  S.,  and  a 
member  of  the  N.  Y.  Academy  of  Sciences, 
American  Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  and  the 
Chemical  Society.  His  clubs  are  the  Century, 
Union  League,  Chemical  and  Columbia  University. 


JLA.\'   1.  HL  K.XS  -- 

Juan  f.  Burns,  Mexican  Consul  General  in 
New  York,  has  been  a  very  picturesque  figure, 
both  in  the  Mexican  Revolution  and  the  Interna- 
tional Mexican-American  questions  that  have  arisen 
during  the  past  four  or  five  years. 

He  was  born  in  the  well  known  mining  camp 
of  Batopilas,  State  of  Chihuahua.  His  father  was 
a  Scotchman  and  his  mother  a  Mexican.  An 
orphan  at  his  1  6th  year,  he  was  raised  in  the  most 
aristocratic  families  in  Mexico,  and  from  there  he 
left  the  State  Capitol  of  Chihuahua  and  the  home  of 
Enrique  Creel,  Mexican  Ambassador  to  the  United 
States,  to  join  the  Revolution  with  the  humble 
people. 

At  that  time  Mr.  Burns  met  the  well  known 
bandit  Francisco  Villa,  and  as  he  was  about 
the  only  leader  at  that  time  he  joined  him.  Ameri- 
cans from  Chihuahua  who  were  once  in  a  train 
assaulted  by  Villa  and  who  were  anticipating 
death  or  captivity  to  follow  the  attack,  took  cour- 
age again  when  to  their  astonishment  they  recog- 
nized Juan  T.  B  urns,  who  was  very  well  known 
in  Chihuahua  as  private  secretary  to  Governor 
Creel,  cooly  ordering  Villa's  men  to  respect  all 
passengers  on  the  train  except  a  few  Federal 
soldiers. 

Mr.  Burns  came  to  New  York  from  Galveston, 
Texas,  where  he  represented  his  Government  early 
in  the  Revolution,  and  has  been  for  over  two 
years  a  prominent  figure  in  the  public  eyes  of  New 
York. 

He  is  a  tireless  worker,  a  firm  believer  in  the 
future  of  his  country  and  a  radical  Mexican  Na- 
tionalist. His  impulsiveness  during  fighting  time 
has  been  as  successful  as  his  smile  and  personality 
in  peaceful  environments. 

During  the  last  unique  Mexican  reception  held 
at  the  Hotel  Astor,  on  the  night  of  September  15, 
1917,  in  celebration  of  the  107th  anniversary  of 
Mexico's  Independence,  Mr.  Burns,  by  his  per- 
suasiveness and  good  fellowship,  united  the  diverg- 
ing political  elements  that  had  gathered  to  com- 
memorate the  independence  of  Mexico,  and  turned 
\vhat  had  promised  to  be  an  occasion  of  turmoil 
and  bickering  into  one  in  which  the  best  fraternal 
feeling  prevailed  and  the  spirit  of  national  pride 
evoked  through  Mr.  Burn's  efforts  was  a  credit 
to  all  the  Mexican  elements  in  the  city.  Mr. 
Burns  has  all  the  stubbornness  of  the  Scotch,  all 
the  perspicacity  of  the  Indian  and  all  the  dreams 
of  the  Spaniard. 

wi-ilte.i.  it  is 'reported.  jiikI  lias  r.liiiiir.l  tci  liis  nativo  ImivI. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


343 


344 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


CHARLES 

No  one  could  possibly  talk  with  Charles  B. 
Towns  for  the  briefest  period  without  being  im- 
pressed with  the  sincerity  of  purpose  that  has 
made  him  a  benefactor  to  humanity,  or  without 
noticing  the  combativeness  that  has  led  him,  single 
handed,  to  wage  relentless  warfare  against  alcohol, 
tobacco  and  all  habit-forming  drugs.  Mr.  Towns 
is  not  a  physician.  He  is  just  a  business  man; 
not  an  ordmary  busmess  man,  however,  because 
the  extraordmary  aggressiveness  of  his  nature,  so 
necessary  in  the  sociological  fight  he  is  conducting, 
would  be  wasted  energy  in  a  commercial  line. 
Knowing  very  little  of  drugs  and  less  of  their 
pernicious  effects,  he  became  interested  in  the 
sufferings  of  those  addicted  to  their  use,  and  after 
much  experiment    and    research    he    perfected  a 


formula  for  the  treatment  of  these  diseases.  At 
the  outstart  Mr.  Towns  encountered  opposition 
from  physicians  who  refused  to  accept  the  treat- 
ment. Finally,  Dr.  Alexander  Lambert,  professor 
of  clinical  medicine  at  Cornell  University  Medical 
College,  who  is  conceded  to  be  the  best  advised 
man  in  New  York  on  drug  habits  and  alcoholism, 
consented  to  record  the  results  of  Mr.  Towns' 
treatment  of  patients  under  his  observation.  As  a 
result  he  gave  Mr.  Towns  unqualified  endorsement 
of  the  treatment,  and  a  hospital  was  eventually 
opened  at  293  Central  Park  West,  to  which 
many  of  the  physicians  who  had  previously  ig- 
nored the  treatment  sent  their  drug  and  alcohol 
patients.  Later,  Dr.  Richard  C.  Cabot,  the  dis- 
tinguished Boston  physician,  visited  Mr.  Towns' 
hospital  and,  being  strongly  impressed,  sent  several 


B.  TOWNS 

patients,  "who  easily  and  quickly  were  rid  of 
their  morphia  addiction,  and  have  now  remained 
well  for  a  number  of  years."  Dr.  Cabot's  let- 
ter, from  which  this  is  an  excerpt,  also  stated  "I 
do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  knows  more  about 
the  alleviation  and  cure  of  drug  addictions  than 
any  doctor  I  have  ever  seen" — which  is  a  mighty 
good  endorsement  for  a  layman  to  receive  from 
one  of  the  leading  physicians  of  the  country.  Mr. 
Towns  has  travelled  all  over  Europe  and  the 
Orient,  studying  the  drug  evil  and  formulating 
plans  for  its  abatement.  While  in  China  he 
treated  several  thousand  opium  cases  with  success 
but  the  government  would  not  allow  him  to  open 
hospitals  there  as  many  of  the  officials,  high  in 
power,  were  manufacturing  and  selling  "cures" 
which  contained  morphine  or  some  other  derivative 
of  opium.  They  had  commercialized  bogus 
remedies,  did  not  want  the  traffi:  stapped,  and 
did  not  intend  that  the  American  zealot  should 
rob  them  of  income  from  that  source.  Before 
leaving  China,  Mr.  Towns  made  his  formuia  and 
details  of  the  treatment  public  at  the  International 
Opium  Congress,  held  at  Shanghai.  One  month 
later  the  formula  was  given  free  to  the  entire 
world,  Mr.  Towns  .generously  refusing  to  com- 
mercialize it.  Think  of  a  man  without  a  medical 
education,  placing  a  boon  like  this  within  the  reach 
of  millions  of  suffering  and  miserable  men  and 
women!  All  the  millions  of  money  devoted  to 
various  institutions  within  the  last  twenty  years 
will  not  accomplish  the  good  resulting  from  Mr. 
Towns'  efforts  for  the  amelioration  of  mankind.  Mr. 
1  owns  has  successfully  treated  thousands  of  cases 
in  New  York  City,  but  this  does  not  satisfy  him. 
He  wants  to  permanently  and  effectually  remove 
the  cause  of  the  evil  and  he  is  working  energet- 
ically to  that  end.  He  is  the  author  of  the  so-called 
"Boylan  law"  passed  several  years  ago  by  the 
New  York  Legislature  which  greatly  restricts  the 
method  of  handling  habit-forming  drugs.  He  is  now 
fighting  for  Government  aid  in  wiping  out  the 
quacks  and  charlatans  who  vend  all  common  ad- 
vertised fake  medicine  cures.  He  is  firm  in  the 
belief  that  alcoholism  and  drug  addiction  should  be 
treated  by  the  legal  authorities  where  the  patient, 
deprived  of  his  drink  or  drug,  cannot  himself  af- 
ford to  pay  for  private  treatment  and  that  such 
provision  should  be  a  part  of  all  prohibition  enact- 
ments. Mr.  Towns'  views  and  method  of  treat- 
ment have  been  given  free  to  the  world  and  he 
is  now  largely  devoting  his  time  to  legislative 
work  from  which  he  derives  no  benefit  whatever. 
This  is  a  part  of  the  life  story  of  Charles  B. 
Towns,  a  record  of  events  that  makes  him  one  of 
the  progressive  men  of  the  age.  Mr.  Towns  has 
been  a  frequent  contributor  to  magazines  and 
recently  published  a  volume  entitled  "Habits  that 
Handicap,"  in  which  every  form  of  addiction  is 
exhaustively  treated. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


345 


Looking  Up  Riverside  Drive  Along  the  Hudson  River  From  72nd  Street.    One  of  the  Most  Beautiful 
and  Famous  Boulevards  of  the  World. 


GEORGE  L.  RICKARD 
George  L.  Rickard,  familiarly  known  as  "Tex," 
who,  when  not  cattle-raising  in  the  West  or  mining 
in  Alaska  turned  his  attention  to  fight  promoting,  is 
one  of  the  most  prominent  figures  in  sporting  circles 
although  his  activities  are  devoted  to  commercial 
life — his  mterest  in  the  ring  being  merely  an  inci- 
dent m  his  busy  career.  He  was  born  in  Kansas 
City  in  1 870  and  was  taken  by  his  father  to 
Texas  when  but  two  years  old.  The  elder  Rick- 
ard was  a  successful  ranchman  and  when  the  son 
grew  up  he  naturally  entered  the  same  line.  Be- 
coming tired  of  the  range  he  tried  mining  in  Alaska 
in  1 896  and  then  tried  prospecting  in  Nevada. 
He  was  fairly  successful  and  when  the  Gans- 
Nelson  fight  was  talked  of  he  completed  the  ar- 
rangements for  the  contest  to  take  place  in  Gold- 
field.  The  gate  receipts  were  $69,000,  a  record 
figure  at  that  time.  He  then  promoted  the  Jef- 
freys-Johnson fight  at  Reno,  which  drew  $270,- 
000.  His  last  contest  was  the  Willard-Moran 
set-to  at  Madison  Square  Garden,  when  the  gate 
receipts  were  $152,000.  Mr.  Rickard  now  de- 
votes his  entire   time    to   the    Presidency   of  the 


South  American  Land  and  Cattle  Company,  Inc. 
He  had  purchased,  previous  to  the  formation  of 
this  company,  325,000  acres  of  land  in  Paraguay. 
This  land  is  considered  the  finest  for  grazing  and 
is  accessible  to  slaughter  houses  and  shipping 
points.  It  is  splendidly  watered  and  drained  by 
streams  which  transverse  the  property,  and  is  the 
most  fertile  in  the  world.  The  offices  of  the  com- 
pany are  at  I  328  Broadway. 


RALPH  DE  PALMA 

Ralph  De  Palma,  one  of  the  most  daring  and 
successful  automobile  drivers  in  the  country,  was 
born  in  Fogia,  Italy,  December  19,  1883,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  town  and 
in  the  High  School  of  Brooklyn,  to  which  city 
he  was  brought  by  his  parents  when  nine  years  old. 
While  still  a  student  he  took  up  bicycling  as  a 
sport  and,  becoming  proficient,  devoted  two  years 
to  that  branch  of  sport.  Following  this  he  became 
expert  in  motor  cycling  and  later  turned  hi,s  at- 
tention to  automobile  racing,  in  which  he  has  at- 
tained an  international  reputation.     For  a  period 


346 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


ol  ten  years  lie  has  been  engaged  in  lacniL'  and 
during  that  time  drove  Allen,  Kingston,  Fiat,  Sim- 
plex, Mercer.  Mercedes  and  Packard  cars  in  the 
big  events  in  which  the  various  manufacturers  com- 
peted, making  records  that  placed  him  among  the 
leading  automobile  drivers  of  the  world.  Mr.  De 
Palma  married  Miss  Clara  Wenger  of  Dele- 
mount,  Switzerland.  He  makes  his  home  at  684 
East  Jefferson  Avenue,  Detroit. 


A  Type  of  the  Buildings  Which   Lined  Lower 
Broadway  a  Generation  Ago.   This  View  Il- 
lustrated the   Corner  of  Broadway  and 
Rector  Streets,  Which  Site  Is  Now 
Occupied  by  the  Empire  Building. 


JULIUS  MARQUSEE 

Julius  Marqusee,  tobacco  dealer  and  packer, 
was  born  in  Russian  Poland,  in  I  864.  He  came 
to  America  in  1883  and  began  his  mercantile  life 
as  a  peddler  of  small  wares.  After  a  few  months 
he  bought  a  store  at  Richland,  Oswego  County. 
New  York,  which  he  sold  in  less  than  a  year  and 
then  started  handling  leaf  tobacco  at  Syracuse.  He 
removed  to  New  York  in  1895,  and  since  coming 
here  he  has  expanded  his  business  so  as  to  cover 
all  kinds  of  domestic  leaf  tobacco. 

In  addition  to  his  main  establishment  in  New 
York  City  he  has  warehouses  at  New  Milford, 
Connecticut;  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania;  Dayton  and 
Covington,  Ohio;  and  Jamesville,  Wisconsin. 


C.  STEENDAL 

President,  Northern  Underwriting 
Agency. 

By  relinquishing  a  seafaring  career  for  financial 
pursuits,  C.  Steendal  upset  the  traditions  of  his 
family  and,  coming  to  America,  a  country  whose 
methods  were  new  and  strange  to  him,  he  soon 
overcame  his  foreign  birth  and  arose  to  a  position 
of  influence  in  business  affairs.  Mr.  Steendal 
is  a  native  of  Norway  and  was  born  June  5, 
1883,  on  his  father's  estate  near  Lillesand. 
The  family  has  been  a  seafaring  one  for  genera- 
tions. The  father  traversed  the  five  seas  in  sail- 
ing vessels,  became  a  skipper  when  only  twenty 
years  old  and  retired  in  1890.  After  grad- 
uating from  High  School,  Mr.  Steendal,  in 
accordance  with  his  father's  wishes,  went  to  sea 
in  1 908,  preparatory  to  entering  the  Naval  Col- 
lege. He  boarded  the  bark  "Ellen"  of  Grimstad  at 
Liverpool,  bound  for  Santos  and  thence  to  New 
York,  arriving  here  in  1 909,  at  the  time  when 
Admiral  Dewey  was  being  triumphantly  received 
after  the  battle  of  Manila.  This  was  Mr.  Steen- 
dal's  first  visit  here  and  he  was  greatly  impressed 
with  the  country  and  it»  people — so  much  so,  in 
fact,  that  he  formed  a  desire  to  locate  here  per- 
manently. After  eight  months  at  sea  he  returned 
home  fully  resolved  to  give  up  the  Naval  Col- 
lege training.  Instead  he  took  a  course  in  a  bus- 
iness college  in  Christiania  and  then  entered  the 
service  of  the  Ostlandske  Lloyd  Steamship  Com- 
pany, which  was  running  lines  to  Newcastle,  Mid- 
dlebro  and  Antwerp.  Early  in  1903  he  obtained 
the  consent  of  his  father  to  go  to  the  United 
States  and  sailed  at  once  for  New  York.  He 
arrived  here  in  April  of  that  year  and  secured 
a  position  with  the  firm  of  Walker  &  Hughes, 
insurance  brokers  and  average  adjusters.  In 
1 906  this  concern  and  two  others  were  consoli- 
dated under  the  title  of  Wilcox,  Peck  &  Hughes 
and  Mr.  Steendal  continued  with  the  new  firm 
until  1916,  since  which  time  he  has  been  identified 
with  the  Hannevig  interests.  Having  spent  his 
entire  life  in  a  maritime  country  and  being  al- 
ways associated  with  maritime  matters,  Mr.  Steen- 
dal soon  realized  that  the  United  States  was 
a  fertile  field  for  marine  insurance  and  while  still 
associated  with  Wilcox,  Peck  &  Hughes,  opened 
a  new  market  for  that  firm  with  underwriters  in 
Scandinavia,  some  of  which  finally  decided  to  enter 
and  participate  direct  in  the  American  business, 
which  was  then  more  or  less  dominated  by  British 
and  German  companies.  Mr.  Steendal  felt,  how- 
ever, that  the  foreign  commerce  of  the  United 
States  did  not  only  require  the  much  advocated 
merchant  marine,  but  also  in  conjunction  with  same 
American  companies  to  take  care  of  the  marine 
insurance.     This  became  more  apparent  after  the 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


347 


Christian  Steendal 


outbreak  of  the  European  War.  In  association 
with  Christoffer  Hannevig,  the  young  Norwegian 
shipowner  who  has,  through  his  abihty  and  fore- 
sight, made  a  fortune  in  shipping,  Mr.  Steendal, 
in  the  spring  of  1917  took  over  and  reorganized 
the  Jefferson  Insurance  Company,  of  Philadelphia, 
one  of  the  oldest  and  most  conservative  companies 
in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Hannevig  be- 
coming President  and  Mr.  Steendal  Vice-President 
and  Secretary.  In  August  of  the  same  year  the 
North  Atlantic  Insurance  Company,  the  Liberty 


Marine  Insurance  Company  and  the  Universal 
Marine  Insurance  Company  were  also  organized. 
These  companies  are  operated  by  the  Northern 
Underwriting  Agency,  Inc.,  as  general  agent. 
Mr.  Steendal  is  a  member  of  the  Average 
Adjusters'  Association  of  the  United  States,  the 
Marine  Insurance  Club,  the  Maritime  Exchange 
and  the  Norwegian  American  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce. The  offices  of  the  Northern  Underwriting 
Agency,  Inc.,  are  in  the  Merchants  Marine 
House,  56  Beaver  Street. 


348 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


UNITED  ZINC  SMELTING  CORPORATION 


The  United  Zinc  Smelting  Corporation,  one  of 
the  largest  producers  of  spelter  in  the  United 
States  and  also  a  large  producer  of  lead  and  sul- 
phuric acid,  owns  and  operates  zinc  smelters  at 
Clarksburg,  W.  Va.,  and  at  Moundsville,  W.  Va. 
It  IS  at  the  latter  place  that  the  sulphuric  acid 
plant  is  located. 

The  corporation  also  controls  zinc  and  lead 
mines  in  the  Joplin,  Mo.,  district.  The  mines  are 
known  as  the  Electrical,  Media,  Coyote,  Airedale, 
Coronet  and  Manhattan.  The  mines  produce  very 
high  grade  zinc  concentrates  which,  when  refined, 
become  what  is  known  to  the  trade  as  spelter 
(zinc).     This  metal  combined  with  copper  pro- 


of its  kind  in  the  country.  The  site  for  this  plant 
was  selected  after  months  of  careful  study  and 
investigation  as  being  an  ideal  center  for  the  dis- 
tribution of  spelter  and  sulphuric  acid. 

The  President  of  the  corporation  is  Arthur 
Day;  Vice-President,  Otto  Proelss;  Treasurer, 
Thomas  C.  Davidson;  Secretary,  Gustave  Ross. 
The  directorate  includes  Russel  A.  Cowles,  Ar- 
nold L.  Davis,  George  M.  Pynchon,  B.  Lissberg- 
er,  William  E.  Reiss,  Harry  Raymond,  M.  M. 
Pearlman,  Arthur  Day  and  Otto  Proelss.  The 
executive  offices  are  located  at  99  John  Street, 
New  York  City. 

The  corporation's  Clarksburg  plant  consists  of 


Moundsville   (W.  Va.)   Smelter  and  Sulphuric  Acid  Plant. 


duces  brass.  Spelter  is  also  used  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  galvanized  products  as  well  as  in  the 
manufacture  of  paints. 

The  plants  of  the  corporation  are  fully  and 
modernly  equipped  and  are  supervised  by  the  Vice- 
President  of  the  company  who  is  proven  to  be  a 
most  efficient  and  capable  manager.  A  com- 
parison of  costs  with  those  of  other  first  class 
smelters  shows  that  the  United  Zinc  Smelting  Cor- 
poration IS  operating  as  economically  as  any  other 
organization  in  the  United  States. 

The  smelter  and  sulphuric  acid  plant  at 
Mooindsville,  W.  Va.,  has  just  been  completed 
and  is  considered  to  be  the  most  modern  plant 


five  hand  roast  kilns,  capacity  of  from  45  to  50 
tons  of  raw  ore  per  day;  four  retort  blocks,  912 
retorts  to  each  block,  capacity  75  tons  of  ore  per 
day;  six  furnaces  for  re-distillation  purposes  for 
making  high  grade  spelter.  The  power  house  has 
four  tubular  boilers,  150  H.  P.  each,  total  600 
H.  P.,  three  150  H.  P.  steam  engines.  Pottery 
capable  of  producing  500  retorts  per  day,  storage 
capacity  10,000;  mixer,  latest  type  batch  mixer, 
with  skip  arrangement  capable  of  mixing  ten  tons 
per  hour.  Block  buildings  are  made  of  steel  and 
brick:  pottery  all  brick  and  tile;  power  house, 
wood  and  steel;  high  grade  department,  wood 
construction;  roasting,  wood  construction;  all  nee- 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


349 


essary  concrete  bins  for  storage  of  raw  ore  and 
roasted  ore.  The  machine  shop  is  fully  equipped 
with  all  necessary  machinery  for  turning  out  work 
about  the  plant.  The  water  system  consists  of  a 
filtering  plant  capable  of  filtering  10,000  gallons 
of  water  per  hour  and  the  laboratory  is  fitted  up 
with  all  latest  improvements.  The  Moundsville 
plant,  just  erected,  consists  of  one  50-ton  Hegeler 
roast  kiln;  two  chamber  sets;  an  acid  plant  ca- 
pable of  producing  50  tons  of  60  degree  sulphuric 
acid  per  day ;  a  concentrating  plant  to  produce  I  0 
tons  of  high  grade  acid  per  day ;  a  nitric  plant 
for  the  production  of  nitric  acid;  two  furnaces  of 
864  retorts  per  block;  Pottery,  capable  of  pro- 
ducing  500   retorts  per   day;   storage  capacity. 


tion  since  December,  1913.  The  ore  from  this 
mine  is  oi  uniform  grade  and  richness  and  the  ex- 
tent of  the  ore  body  has  been  demonstrated  by 
cuttings  of  seventeeen  acres.  The  mill  is  the  larg- 
est in  the  Joplin  district.  It  has  a  capacity  of 
1,500  tons  per  day  and  is  in  full  operation. 

The  Electrical  mine  has  been  in  constant  op- 
eration 5ince  1 904.  The  ore  body  which  ad- 
joins the  Media  mine  has  been  of  such  uniform 
grade  that  the  recovery  of  zinc  concentrates  from 
the  ore  has  not  varied  more  than  one  quarter  of 
one  per  cent  during  the  period  of  operation.  The 
mill  has  a  capacity  of  600  tons  per  day  and  is 
in  full  operation. 

The  Coyote  mine,  in  the  Joplin  district,  is  an- 


10,000  retorts.  The  latest  improved  pottery 
construction. 

The  power  house  has  two  Babcock  &  Wil- 
cox boilers,  300  H.  P.  each,  total  600  H.  P. 
Machine  shop  and  storage,  brick  and  steel  build- 
ings; laboratory,  brick  building,  latest  improve- 
ment. Kiln  building,  acid  buildings  and  furnace 
buildings  are  all  of  heavy  steel  construction ;  power 
house,  brick  and  steel ;  pottery  brick,  tile  and 
steel.  The  water  is  supplied  by  the  city  and  for 
its  storage  a  steel  tank,  with  a  capacity  of  25,- 
000  gallons,  has  been  erected.  There  are  four 
gas  producers  constructed  of  steel  and  in  steel 
buildings.  The  plant  has  excellent  railroad  ship- 
ping facilities. 

The  Media  mine  owned  and  operated  by  the 
corporation  is  located  in  the  sheet  ground  district 
of  Webb  City,  Missouri,  and  has  been  in  opera- 


other  producer  of  high  grade  ore.  It  has  been 
operated  since  February,  1916,  and  is  still  in  full 
operation  with  a  capacity  of  800  tons  per  day. 
The  ore  body  is  of  exceptional  richness,  the  vein 
being  1  8  feet  in  thickness. 

The  Airedale  mine  adjoins  the  Coyote  mine. 
It  has  been  operated  since  March,  1916,  and  with 
an  electrically  driven  mill  is  still  capable  of  pro- 
ducing 700  tons  per  day.  The  ore  vein  is  18 
feet  thick  and  its  extent  has  been  demonstrated 
by  eight  acres  of  workings.  The  underground 
workings  of  the  various  mines  owned  by  the  cor- 
poration are  as  safe  as  human  ingenuity  can  make 
them.  There  are  no  workings  in  any  of  the  group 
below  a  depth  of  220  feet  and  in  consequence 
the  mines  are  dry  and  free  from  gases.  This 
makes  operations  nearly  100  per  cent  safe  and 
accidents  of  a  serious  nature  rare. 


350 


NEW    YORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


STANDARD  ROLLER  BEARING  COMPANY 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 


The  S.  R.  B.  Company  is  now  owned  by  the 
Marlin-Rockuell  Corporation  (with  executive 
headquarters  in  New  York  City)  formerly  the 
Marhn  Arms  Corporation  of  New  Haven,  Conn., 
who  manufactured  machine  guns  and  rifles;  they 
have  now  branched  out  into  other  fields  by  the 
acquisition  of  several  established  industries,  notably 
in  automobile  accessories. 

This  has  been  accomplished  by  acquiring  the  as- 
sets of  the  Standard  Roller  Bearing  Company  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  well  known  manufacturers  of 
S.  R.  B.  maximum  type  annular  ball  bearings, 
S.  R.  B.  improved  type  taper  roller  bearings, 
Rudge-Whitworth  detachable  wire  wheels  and 
"Standard  Alloy"  steel  balls,  of  the  Rockwell- 
Drake  Corporation  of  Plainville,  Conn.,  manufac- 
turers ol  maximum  type  double  row  annular  ball 
bearings  and  of  the  Mayo  Radiator  Company 
of  New  Haven,  Conn.,  manufacturers  of  "High- 
Grade"  honeycomb  radiators,  which  with  the  Mar- 


lin  Arms  Corporation  of  New  Haven  constitute 
the  subsidiary  companies  at  this  time. 

In  securing  the  assets  of  the  Standard  Roller 
Company,  the  Marlin-Rockwell  Corporation  has 
come  into  possession  of  a  property  and  equipment 
which  bids  fair  to  make  this  the  most  important 
unit  in  the  group  of  establishments  which  make  up 
the  Marlin-Rockwell  Corporation.  Although  the 
plant  came  into  possession  of  the  Corporation  less 
than  a  year  ago,  the  vigor  and  rejuvenation  result- 
ing therefrom  have  been  so  marked  that  several 
buildings  have  been  leased  and  added  to  the  plant 
to  meet  the  requirements  of  a  production  that  is 
increasing  by  leaps  and  bounds. 

As  pioneers  in  the  manufacture  of  bearings  and 
steel  balls,  with  the  extensive  experience  gained 
from  overcoming  the  difficulties  arising  in  their  de- 
velopment, the  S.  R.  B.  Company  has  succeeded 
in  achieving  a  product  of  distinction,  in  which 
quality  is  fulfilled  to  the  minutest  detail. 

S.  R.  B.  Annular  Ball  Bearings 
It  is  a  fact  and  has  been  proven  by  conclusive 


tests  for  strength  and  endurance  that  S.  R.  B. 
Annular  Ball  Bearings  are  superior  to  any  bear- 
ings made  in  America. 

There  are  three  fundamental  principles  upon 
which  this  claim  of  superiority  is  based,  namely: 

1  St.  Accuracy  of  chemical  composition  of  the 
steel  used  in  their  manufacture.  2nd.  Accuracy 
of  heat  treatment  which  produces  the  correct  physi- 
cal structure  in  the  steel.  3rd.  Accuracy  of  me- 
chanical execution  in  the  grinding  and  fitting  of  all 
the  component  parts. 

In  order  to  place  S.  R.  B.  Bearings  in  the 
forefront  of  the  world's  market  their  Engineering 
and  Research  Departments  made  exhaustive  experi- 
ments and  tests,  regardless  of  cost.  These  experi- 
ments resulted  in  some  new  developments,  and, 
through  the  co-operation  of  tlie  largest  and  best 
American  steel  mills,  their  Metallurgical  Depart- 
ment succeeded  in  developing  a  steel  especially 
adapted  to  their  requirements — a  Chrome  Alloy 


Steel  of  special  analysis — a  steel  which,  when 
properly  heat-treated,  combines  the  pre-eminent 
qualities  of  hardness  and  toughness  to  an  extraor- 
dinary degree,  and  now  acknowledged  to  be  the 
best  steel  for  the  manufacture  of  bearings. 

S.  R.  B.  Maximum  Silent  Type  Annular  Ball 
Bearings  are  so  called  because  no  other  name  is 
so  appropriately  descriptive;  maximum,  because 
they  contain  the  greatest  number  of  balls  possible 
to  put  into  a  bearing  of  this  type;  silent,  because 
they  are  positively  noiseless. 

They  are  capable  of  sustaining  greater  thrust 
loads  than  other  annular  ball  bearings  because  ol 
four  specific  points  of  merit  in  their  design  and 
workmanship : 

1st.  Deep  ball  groove  in  races.  2nd.  Large 
diameter  balls.  3rd.  Maximum  number  of  balls. 
4th.    Accurate  and  snug  fitting  assembly. 

Another  type  of  annular  ball  bearing  is  also 
manufactured  that  combines  the  double  function 
of  a  radial  and  thrust  bearing;  this  is  the  S.  R.  B. 
Double  Row  Annular  Bearing,  which  includes  all 
the  points  of  merit  above  mentioned  and  presents 


Factories  of  Standard  Roller  Bearing  Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


NEJV    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


351 


distinctive  features,  such  as  the  one-piece  cone  and 
one-piece  race,  giving  it  a  sturdiness  not  found  in 
the  usual  type  of  double  row  annular  bearing. 

Its  use  IS  often  highly  desirable  because  of  econ- 
omy of  space  and  greater  efficiency;  it  will  take 
radial  loads  at  least  50  per  cent,  greater  than  the 
capacity  of  a  single  row  bearing  of  the  same  bore 
and  diameter  and  at  the  same  time  sustain  con- 
siderable thrust;  it  obviates  the  necessity  of  using 
two  single  row  bearings  and  offers  stability  in  shaft 
alignment  not  obtainable  with  a  single  bearing. 

S.  R.  B.  Impron  ed  Type  Taper 
Roller  Bearings 

In  the  manufacture  of  Taper  Roller  Bearings, 
this  company  maintains  an  equally  high  standard, 
as  their  S.  R.  B.  Improved  Type  Taper  Roller 
Bearing  as  now  constructed  presents  a  radical  de- 
parture as  regards  shape  of  rollers  and  cone,  from 
the  design  of  any  bearing  of  this  type  heretofore 
produced.     It  possesses  these  advantages: 

1 .  The  parts  are  simpler  to  manufacture,  so 
that  they  can  be  gauged  very  accurately  and  all 
the  component  parts  aie  interchangeable  with  the 
established  design  of  other  roller  bearing  manufac- 
turers. 

2.  When  constructed  of  the  same  quality  of 
steel  as  the  same  size  bearing  of  a  competitor's 
manufacture,  this  improved  design  will  display  four 
times  the  endurance  and  life  which  other  designs 
can  yield.  But  when  constructed  of  the  superior 
analysis  and  correctly  heat-treated  steels  used  by 
this  company,  the  load  sustaining  capacity  is  still 
further  improved. 

3.  The  primary  elements  of  this  improved 
type  bearing  are  of  such  liberal  design  and  the 
rollers  and  cone  being  contained  as  one  unit,  thus 
attaining  simplicity  of  adjustment,  that  it  commends 


Itself  to  all  who  desire  to  avoid  common  bearing 
troubles,  resulting  in  putting  a  bearing  out  of  com- 
mission long  before  wear  or  abuse  would  have 
brought  total  incapacity. 

"Standard  Alloy"  Steel  Balls 

The  Steel  Ball  plant  of  the  Standard  Roller 
Bearing  Company  is  a  highly  specialized  manu- 
facturing organization,  in  many  departments  equip- 
ped with  special  automatic  machines  designed  and 
built  expressly  for  the  work  of  this  Company, 
which  by  years  of  experimentation  in  its  Engineer- 
ing and  Research  Department  has  attained  the 
highest  degree  of  quality  and  uniformity  ever 
reached  in  steel  balls. 

Rudge-Whitworth  Wire  Wheels 

The  S.  R.  B.  Company  are  the  sole  licensees 
for  the  United  States  for  the  Rudge-Whitworth 
Detachable  Wire  Wheels  for  automobiles. 

Wire  wheels  for  automobiles  began  under  the 
inspiration  of  wire  wheels  for  bicycles.  The 
earlier  types  erred  in  closely  copying  bicycle  wheel 
models,  which  proved  so  unsatisfactory  that  there 
was  a  reversion  to  wooden  wheels.  But  the  in- 
troduction of  the  Rudge-Whitworth  Wire  Wheels 
turned  the  tide,  and  this  was  made  permanent  by 
the  introduction  of  the  positive-locking  feature. 

The  use  of  Rudge-Whitworth  Wire  Wheels 
gives  greatly  increased  strength  and  safety.  Ex- 
periments made  in  England  have  shown  that  as 
compared  with  wooden  wheels  these  wheels  show 
an  increase  of  50  per  cent,  in  the  tire  mileage. 
With  these  wheels  also  it  is  possible  to  make  a 
tire  change  quicker  than  with  any  wooden  wheel. 

Rudge-Whitworth  stands  for  supremacy  in  the 
wire  wheel  field.  The  best  racing  drivers  know 
it  and  will  use  no  other  make. 


352 


NEW    )'ORK    OLD    AND  NEW 


M.  B.  BROWN  PRINTING  &  BINDING  CO. 

Printers  and  Binders 


(MM 


Front  View  of  M.  B.  Brown  Co.  Building. 


The  M.  B.  Brawn  Printing  &  Binding  Co., 
37-41  Chambers  Street,  New  York,  has  for  more 
than  fifty  years  been  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
progressive  printing  houses  in  the  country. 

The  plant  operated  by  this  concern  comprises 
the  most  up-to-date  machinery  of  all  kinds  in  its 
many  departments,  whiih  includes  one  and  two- 
color  cylinder  presses  and  job  presses,  a  large  bat- 
tery of   linotype  and   monotype  machines,  most 


complete  pamphlet,  cloth  and  leather  binderies,  a 
large  ruling  department,  and  in  addition  to  this 
the  company  has  recently  acquired  the  entire 
Typographical,  Ticket  and  Map  Divisions  of  the 
American  Bank  Note  Company. 

In  the  Ticket  and  Coupon  Department,  which 
covers  25,000  square  feet  of  floor  space  in  another 
building,  there  are  printed  millions  of  coupons  and 
tickets  from  presses  and  machinery  that  have  been 
specially  constructed. 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


353 


NEW  CASTLE  LEATHER  COMPANY 


New  Castle  Kid,  the  product  of  the  New  Castle  Leather  Co.,  is  internationally  famous.  It  is  manu- 
factured in  black,  white  and  fancy  colors  and  makes  up  into  some  of  the  daintiest,  most  striking  combina- 
tions of  ladies'  footwear. 


The  company's  plant  is  located  at  Wilmington,  Del.,  with  a  New  York  office  at  Cliff  and  Ferry 
Streets  and  branches  in  Boston,  Chicago,  Montreal,  Copenhagen,  Buenos  Aires,  Melbourne  and  all  the  lead- 
ing leather  centers  of  the  world. 


354 


^EW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


Otto  Kafka 


For  the  Past  Ten  Years  a  Prominent  Agent  in  Finding  Foreign 
Markets  for  American  Made  Goods. 


NEW    YORK— OLD   AND  NEW 


355 


OTTO 

Among  New  York's  exporters,  Otto  Kafka  has 
labored  most  zealously  to  establish  the  supremacy 
of  American  made  goods  in  foreign  markets.  Al- 
though of  foreign  birth,  Mr.  Kafka  is  very  en- 
thusiastic over  the  products  of  this  country's  manu- 
facturers which  he  claims  should  secure  and  main- 
tain by  reason  of  their  excellence,  leadership  in 
every  commercial  centre  of  the  world.  Mr.  Kafka 
was  born  in  Kolin,  Bohemia,  September  14,  1879, 
and  after  a  thorough  schooling  began  his  com- 
mercial career  in  the  country  of  his  birth.  In 
1897  he  transferred  his  energies  to  Paris,  France, 
but  later  returned  to  Bohemia  to  enter  his  father's 
firm.  Finding  his  efforts  in  this  line  limited,  he 
went  to  Buenos  Aires,  Argentine,  which  promised 
excellent  opportunities  for  energetic  young  men. 


KAFKA 

He  established  an  export  business  in  the  South 
American  city  where  he  was  very  successful  and 
gained  wide  experience  in  a  line  which,  up  to 
that  time,  had  been  unfamiliar  to  him.  Thoroughly 
equipped  for  the  conduct  of  a  large  foreign  trade, 
Mr.  Kafka  came  to  the  United  States  in  1907 
and,  locating  in  New  York  City,  established  an 
export  business  which  handled  the  product  of  va- 
rious manufacturers.  In  September,  1916,  he 
established  the  Vulcan  Steel  Products  Company,  of 
which  he  became  President  and  General  Manager, 
which  dual  positions  he  retained  until  January, 
1918,  when  he  resigned  to  devote  his  time  and 
energies  to  other  interests.  Mr.  Kafka  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Machinery  Club  and  several  business 
organizations. 


Columbia 

Grafonola 


COLUMBIA  GRAPHOPHONE  CO. 

Woolworth  Building  (■f^\ 
New  York  City 


A.  B.  SEE 
ELECTRIC  ELEVATOR 
COMPANY 

220  Broadway  New  York 


Makers  of  Elevators 
for  Finest  Buildings 


Boston 

Hartford 

Baltimore 


Philadelphia 
Washington 
Cleveland 


Montreal 


356 


NEW    YORK—OLD    AND  NEW 


Congratulations  ttt  the 

NEW  YORK  COMMERCIAL 

From  an  Old  Friend  and  Acquaintance 
of  Fifty  Years 


REDERICK  K. 


mill  \  Cillesi.i 
Mew  York 


Established  1869 

Hagedorn  &  Co. 

General  Insurance  Brokers 

MARINE,  FIRE,  LIABILITY, 
ACCIDENT,  AUTOMOBILE, 
and  GENERAL  INSURANCE 

Cable  Address  "HAGEDORN" 
66  Beaver  Street  New  York  City 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


357 


lEtttpir^  (Fruat  Qlnmpang 

MAIN  OFFICE: 
ligUITABLE  BUILDING 
120  BROADWAY,  NEW  YORK 

IIITH    AVENUE  OFFICE: 

580  FIFTH  AVENUE,  Corner  17th  Street 
LONDON  office: 

41  THREADNEEDLE  STREET,  E.  C. 

This  Company  is  the  Fiscal  Agent  of  the 
State  of  New  York  for  the  sale  of 
Stock  Transfer  Tax  Stamps 


358 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


0.  G.  Orr  &  Co.^  Inc. 

Underwriters 

37-43  Wall  Street,  New  York  City 

Telephone  2840  HANOVER 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


359 


\       Winter  Son  &  Co. 

IMPORTERS        AND  EXPORTERS 

64  Wall  Street,  New  York 


360 


NEW    YORK—CI.D    AND  NEW 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


361 


Atlantic  Basin 
Iron  WorKs 

Engineers,  Boiler  Makers 
and  Manufacturers 

Steamship  Repairs  in  All  Branches 

Heavy  Forgings — Iron  and  Brass  Castings — Copper 
Specialties — Diesel  Motor  Repairs — Cold  Storage  In- 
stallation— Oil  Fuel  Installation — Carpenter  and  Joiner 
Work 

18-20  Summit  St.  1 1-27  Imlay  St. 

Near  [laniilton  Ferry 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 
Agents  for  "Kinghorn"  Multiplex  Valve 


362 


NEW    YORK—Ol.n    AND  NEW 


The  American 
Metal  Company 

Limited 

I  Incorporated  1887  i 

61  Broadway,  New  York 

1625  Boatmen's  Bank  Bldg., 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 
825  A.  C.  Foster  Bldg., 
Denver,  Colo. 

The  American  Zinc  &  Chemical  Company, 

LaimrlMtl,.  I'a, 
SpclKr,  Snli.lnnu;  Arid,  .Muriatic  .\ci(l.  Zinc 
l)ii-t.  .^ulplndc  ..I  Zinc,  C'cal. 
Pittsburgh  Office: 

421   Oliver  lUd.^r. 
Bartlesville  Zinc  Co., 

I'.art'esvillc,    I'.lack    cll    and  Collin- 

villc.  Okla. 
Lanyon-Starr  Smelting  Company, 

rriiiK'  W  r-lcni  Spclu-r,  lira--.  1  ii UTUu-diat r 
(';radc^  and  lli-li  tirade  Sindtrr,  7.mc  Oxide. 
Zinc  Dust. 

Ohio  &  Colorado  Smelting  &  Refining 
Company, 

Compania  de  Minerales  y  Metales,  S  A., 

Mnii.rrny,  Mex. 
Compania  Minera  de  Penoles.  S.  A., 

MainiiM.  Dura!,;,,,.  .\lrx. 
Compania  Minera  Paloma  y  Cabrillas,  S.  A  , 

li.'-;iu'r.,-.  r.Mluiil;,.  M,x 
Compania  Metalurgica  de  Torreon,  S.  A.. 

'i'..rrr,.„,  O^.alinila.  ^lex 

Buyers  of 

Copper,  Lead  and  Zinc  Ores 
Matte  and  Furnace  Products 

Refiners  of 

Blister  Copper  &  Lead  Bullion 

Sellers  of 

Copper,  Spelter,  Lead,  Acids, 
Tin,  Silver  and  rare  Metals 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


363 


AMERICAN 
ZINC  &  CHEMICAL 
COMPANY 

LANGELOTH  -  PENN. 


Manufacturers  of  Spelter, 
Sulphuric  Acid,  Muriatic  Acid, 
Zinc  Dust,  Sulphate  of  Zinc,  Zinc  Oxide 

Coal 

Buyers  of  Zinc  Ores 

Pittsburgh    (Jftice  : 
Oliver  Building,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Owned  and  (  )i)erated  ])y 

The  American  Metal  Co.,  Ltd., 

61  Broadway,  N.  Y. 


364 


NEW    YORK^OLI)    AND  NEW 


Benham  &  Boyesen,  Inc. 

Ship  and  Steamship  Brokers 
and  Commission  Agents 

B  -  1  0     15  K  I  D  G  E     S  T  K  !•  E  T ,     N  E  W  YORK 

GENKRAL  AGENTS  FOR 

The  Norwegian  America  Line 

Coniignmenu  Solicileil  Cable  Address;   "HENIIWI.      \.«    \ ork 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


365 


Fmicli,  Edye  &  Co. 

INCORPORATED 

STEAMSHIP  AGENTS  and  SHIP  BROKERS 
Maritime    Building,    New    York  '^'^'fVnxh" 

FREIGHT  AGENTS  FOR 

SCANDINAV1A.N-AMERICAN  L^E,  for  Chrisiiania,  Copezi- 
hagen  and  Baltic  ports. 

ROYAL  DUTCH  WI'ST  INDIA  MAIL,  for  all  Haytiau  ports, 
Curacao,  Venezuela,  Trinidad.  Denierara  and  Paramaribo. 

FUNCH,  EDYE  &  CO.  LINE,  Regular  service  from  New  York, 
for  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Santos,  and  South  Brazilian  ports. 

COMMONWEALTH  &  DOMINION  LINE,  for  Australia  and 
New  Zealand. 

INDRA  LINE.  Ltd.,  for  China,  Japan  and  the  Philippines. 

AMERICAN  &  INDIAN  LINE,  for  Port  Said.  Red  Sea  Ports. 
India.  Ceylon  and  Burmah. 

AFRICAN  SERVICE,  for  Cape  Town,  Algoa  Bay.  East  London, 
Port  Natal.  Delagoa  Bay  and  Beira. 

STEAMSHIP   CO.,  NEDERLAND,    ROTTERDAM  LLOYD 
AND  HOLLAND-AMERICA,  joint  Service  to  Java. 


366 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


Russian- America  Line 

(RUSSIAN  EAST  ASIATIC  S.S.  CO.) 

Direct  Service 

Between 

iVEIF  YORK  and  RUSSIAN  PORTS 

For  particulars  regarding  freight,  please  apply 

RUSSIAN. AMERICAN  LINE 

I  HI-KJilT  OH- ICE 

12  BROADWAY  Telephone  Broad  661 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


367 


INDEX 


Acheson,  Dr.  Edward  G  116-117 

Alaska  Standard  C'jpi>er  Aiming;  Co  l')4-l'^5 

Allen,  Frederick  11   144 

Aluminum  Cn  of  America  197-198 

Amorv,  I'.rownc  .K-  Co  230-231 

American   -Metal  Co.  Ltd   362 

American  Znic  and  Clieniical  Co   363 

American     Molml    (  o.,   Inc   286 

American    Mu^cnni.    i  H.l   35 

Amcrn-an    Star    Line   316 

\nder-in,  1'.  E.  &  Co.,  Inc   280 

\n.lerM.  n.  A.  O.  &  Co . .   301 

AntMlnn.   Dante   2o5 

.Xrkel!  \'  Douglas,  Inc   2.50 

Arn.dd  .K:  Zeiss   204 

.\tlaiitic  r.asin  Iron  Works   3()1 

Atlantic  AUitnal  Insurance  lUdg   87 

Alwal.  r,  Uidiard  M.,  [r   165 

Austin,  J,  i;.,  Jr   307 

Baker  Castor  Oil  Co   285 

Banks,  Theodore  H   102 

Barnes,  Davis   97 

Barr,  tiarry  K..  126-127 

Bartholomew,  George  P   105 

Battery  Place,  1909  and  Old   67 

Battle,   George   Gordon   147 

Barstow,  W.   S   165 

Barber,  Donn   1()6 

Barber  &  Co   296 

Beckers,  W.  Aniline  &  Clieniical  Works   273 

Beckers,  Dr.  William   272 

Be'mont    Hotel   61 

Bernheimer,  Jacob  S.      Bro   244 

Bengol  Trading  Co.,  Inc  258-259 

Benham  &  Boyesen,  Inc   364 

Benas,  Tohn  M   305 

Beach,  Ralph  H  ^ZS-Mb 

Bidtel  Chemical  AN'orks,  Inc   284 

Bi-elow- Hartford  Carpet  Co   239 

I'.iu  Led-e  C-i)per  Co   191 

lUiss,    l-ahvan   &   Co   234 

Bor-.   John   104 

Bradley,   Charles   S   120 

Brightman,  Frank  E   99 

Brick  Meeting  House   .  27 

Brokaw,  George  T   139 

Brooklyn  Bridge  Opening   63 

Brunn,  Ewart  Al   202 

r.rMwn,  Andrew  IT   206 

r.r..enniman,  Edward  G  338-339 

ItrMwn.  M,  B.,  Printing  &  Binding  Co   352 

Bnftalo  Mines  Ltd   182 

r.unis-   Coffee   llou-e   25 

Burr,   Aaron   22 

Burr,   William    138 

Burgess,  Edward  G   3,30 

Burns,  Juan  T  342-343 


PA(ii-:s 

Caldwell   &   Co   318 

Caldwell.  Gec.rL;,'    11   123 

Ca-tle  (.ar.leii.   1^^12   39 

Carm.Mly,    -j-li  mi.,s   135 

Carr,   llerl)crt   I  217-218 

Cat  lilt      Co   243 

Castner,  Curran  ."v  iUdlitt.  Inc   321 

Chamber  of  I'omiiierce    290 

Chambers  Street   Water  \V,,rks   35 

Chenev  Bn..   246 

Childs  ."v   [oseph   257 

Ihislndm.   Hugh   1   338 

CUy  1  I  all  i'ark.  Old   23 

Clartin's    Incorporated   226 

C'mtnn,  DeWitt    26 

(/lift   &   Goodricli   242 

ColumI)ia    ( iraidn'plione    Co   355 


Columb 

C:>leniai 


oile^L 


hi 


■st,- 


(  1 
Ci 

Criminal 
Custom  11  oil 
Custom  H  or 
"Curb"  Marl 


-srI  A.. 
1  lilter-S 
lius  W.  . 
■derick  [|. 
.TransatkT 
Patrick  E. 


I  oiirt- 


ding. 


(  )ld. 


Ml 


Depew,    Chauncey  M  

Deniarest.  Charles  11   

De   Palnia.  Ralph  

Dilliii-ham,  Frank  A  

Draft  kiMts   

Drew.  !•;    F.  &  Co  .  Inc.  .  . 

Duell,    Holland  S  

Dutch  Church,  Old  

Dumoiit,    Louis  W  

Durcn,  George  B.  &  Sons. 


FQleston  P.r 
Flkn~.  \bra' 


iMni>ire 
Erli,  \i 
Estabr, 


&  Co. 
Inc. . . 


,184-185 

. .  226 

..  257 

..  316 

.  .  163 

. .  43 

. .  152 

..  77 

..  47 

.  177 


114 
266 
345 
142 

51 
255 
138 

37 
205 
244 


Eaton.  Clark  D   162 

Ebert.  Alfred    H  106-107 


334 
148 
342 
235 
357 
113 
139 


368 


NEW    YORK^OLD    AND  NEW 


INDEX— Continued 


1  ;,n-cliiUl.    luiiail    U   ''^ 

I'arrcll.  J.   I'lclcl.cr   216 

I-'caroii,   r.rowii  Co.,   Iiic   251 

Forbes,  Ju'.io    1   316 

Fou-cra.  E,  &  Co.,  Iiic   277 

Frew.  Walter  E   97 

Fnieauff,  Charles  A   140 

Fulton,  John    II   103 

l"iuK-h,  Edyc  &  Co   365 

l-urne->,  W  ilhy  &  Co..  Ltd   2'A^ 

Calhitin,   i-ranci-  1)   1-1« 

(;:,rri>nn,  i.indley  .M   134 

i  i;nri~-n.  (  Mrnelius  M  ISS-IS',' 

W  illiams  &  Wigniore  S.  S.  Corp.  .  .  M7 

^        !'nI'ortin^r  Co   24U 

W   136 

lav   Ill 

Irk  U   356 

 258-259 

Le  i'cvre   98 

■  ,      ,     ,,i  -   261 

I  .raliaiii    (  liarK  -    I  173-174 

,,rre!rx,     \\..Va.:v.'.   49 

(,reeii.'C.-..r^r  W  .  F   314 

Ciiess,  II.  A   1''6 

llacu^n.    \,    R    C,   276 

I  i  aL'r'iir-,  .1-  \  r.nmn   20i 

I  jail.  .\  ■  <  •.dM->   56 

Hall.    Clnil-n    .\  I    Ill 

ll:ir,li,>.-,   V,lt>M,    \-    C.   242 

lla^l.Hl,    (harl,.    \   212 

!|. --'.,>■',,,-.    lao,;.   275 

:  v.nla,  \  C.nMlnian   284 

i;arr,~^,  Ma-,11  ^  C,>..  Inc   301 

I  ia~'u-  ilr.alKi--,  Inc   308 

lla^Kr.  iMTdM-ick  E   308 

ila^l.r,   Tlwan;;-    11   309 

M,~l,.r    K'.-.-'    I    310 

ii  inuM-     ■    312 

i„Mn.M.    ~                 '    312 

i  ir1,ir~.    I  r,     .  :        I;    260 

I  l.  iuU  i  sMi:.   1      k    \-  Cn   200 

ll.rnan.l./,    M,    \  252-253 

!  i.-r.rli.    Mliert   W   263 

lUx.lrn    (luminal   Works   281 

llrnnaii.  .\     M.   C.ri)   245 

Ilir~>-1>                       Cm   338 

II. .11.,-  ,,i    Rrfuur.  Old   39 

Hunt,  r  Mlu.  and            Co   236 

Innis.  Speiflen  &  Co..  Ino   274 

NcnMein.  Otto   263 

lacol.^,  Lawrence  M   96 

Uickson.  William  S   150 

(enni,,.       R..lM  r:    l;   89 

']nhv.  -     .  '    i   M  M,-,  ^   18 

']„■  u  ■   -    I    I    \  (  M   204 

F.lM.-.n  .\    k:Mlai.   Inc  252-253 

I  .i-:i,,n,  W  illi.ini   IC.  Inc   286 

k,;n.,r,i,  \„lkunn   315 

Jnhri.i\.  John  C   115 

Kafka.  ^)tto  354-355 

Karlin,  William   147 

K;,l/.nhacli  and    fUillock  Co..  Tnc   278 

Kchava.  Erv   340 


I'Alil.S 

Kcll\,  Wiliiani  J   204 

Keystone   Cons(didated   Oil   Corp  224-225 

Kerr  Steamship  Co  294-295 

Kitile,  Charles  A   115 

Kirchen.   lohn  C  180-181 


.atayelte  Keception  

-a  ^lon^e.  Geor.i4e  M.. 
..auU-rliacli.  Fdw  urd  .  .  .  . 
.anc,  J.   11.       (  o,.  Inc. 


Products  Co. 

d)ert  R  

&  Co  


nd,L;c,  l.S(,7 
Fdu'ard  E 


.\ladisnn 
Malli.Mii 
.\lacv.  \" 
-MariM->d' 
.\lar\  1 
Man,,i,M- 

.M.Hir,  ! 

M.ir-lial 

MarnuM' 


Cotta!>e,  Old. 
II.  R.  I't  Co. 


I'.nil.lm-  

I  ,  .Id  Mininji  Co. 
I  I        (  o..  Inc.  .  . 


W  al. 
lulr 


.Met/,  Hern- 

M.H-Mp,. 

M-  vr,-,    <  111. 

M.d.'ir  SI.,, 
M,ll.a  ,    W  ill 
Mit.lirll, 
M,ll-.  >v  <  .il. 

.MlL^llrtla.  I. 
Mo-..  I-r.anI 
.Mntlur  laid 
MrC, 

M.  1 )  1,1,1.  r 

\1,  I  ,l,-l,,,lr, 
McCrc.   W  ,1 

McCi-.ath,  C; 
\l.-k,,lual-.. 


317 

30 
101 
146 
243 
317 
191 
141 
131 
172 
129 
201 
245 
306 
158 

55 
152 
159 


)per  Mines  Co.  of  Al; 
am  E  


..  351 
. .  24() 
..  91 
..  79 
186-1.87 
. .  265 
. .  207 
..  207 
. .  324 
. .  346 
. .  284 
..  105 
.  .  206 
..  212 
..  143 
..  93 
. .  237 
.328-32" 
142 
l')0 
137 
.  298-299 
.  .  310 
.  .  88 
..  313 
08 


Xafra  C..mi)any   311_ 

.V.ition.al  .Steam  Xaviuation  Co   317 

Veal  !•.    \"iryil  Cl,,.mic,il  Works  282-2.^3 

\cw    (-.•(slU-    l,,all,,a-   353 

X,w.,.a|..r    U..'^.    1S72   55 

"W  w    ^^irk    C.,i,niu  r.i.il"   18 

Xcw  ^■..^k  S  u-ictv  Lihrarv,  Old   39 

'   146 

  141 


xic.di.  n.d.- 

X,.rton.  I'.Ii 


(  )il 


■NICO 


(  )iT  I  l).ii -  A   

Orr.  ().  C.  &  ('.,  

Ostrom,  .Mexander  V  

Overseas  Transportation  C< 


Tnc. 


226 
143 
110 
358 
100 
317 


NEW    YORK— OLD    AND  NEW 


369 


INDEX— Continued 


PAGES 

Pacific  Coast   Borax  Co   286 

Pacinc   Ul\  clopnient   Corporation   256 

Page,  \Vi  liam   11   US 

Park  Row,  1825    33 

Parker,  W.ider  &  Co   243 

Pauisoii,  Linkroum  &  Co   245 

Peabody,  Henry  W.  &  Co   254 

Peil,  Ceorge  H   2(j5 

Percival,  Jolin  A  184-l;)5 

Peters,  Ralph   157 

Phoenix  Siik  Manufacturing  Co   244 

Place,  Ira  A   162 

Portn,   W  illiam  C  336-337 

Poor,    I     llariKT  230-231 


Post  X>.,v  

Produce  l;..\c;I;ln,^e,  (Jld 

Pulit/.er  Building  

Pupin,  Dr.  Michael  I 
Publi  " 


X  e  w , 


  155 

  55 

  69 

  114 

Library   248 


Rand; 
Rapp, 
Rep  M 


William  H.  &  Co. 

ihn  W  

■  J.  Leonard  

id.  Siacv  C  


i-Macher  Chemical  Co., 


I,  L. 

Ru.xana    Petroleum    Co  220-221 

Rush,  Thomas  L   ^,0 

Russian-American   Lir.e   3o6 


..  300 
..  3^4 

166-10/ 
.W-  95 
.  .  3-  2 
. .  3a.  5 
. .  3^5 
. .  2/5 
.  .  119 


Salt's  Textile  Manufacturing  Co   2-1 

icaiidinax  ian  Tru^t  Co   100 

SchonL^al.a.  W  i.liam   276 

Scholz,   w  il,  am   II   303 

See,  .A.  IL,  LLclr.c  Cexaiirr    355 

Segal,  George  H.  &  Co.,  inc   2^7 

Seiigman,  A  bert  J   354 

Siems,  Chester  Peter   121 

Singer  linil  l  iv-;   61 

S.nciair,    liarry    !•  214-215 

Simps. in,   Sptnce  &   Young   2t7 

Si.z,  A.,  House  of   355 

Siee,  J.  Noan  H   128 

Snow,  Elbridge  Gerry  

Soltau,  Robert  and  Co.,  Inc   2C7 

SpooTier,    Tohn   C   144 

■■Stadt  Huvs".  First  City  Hall   20 

Steinway  &  Sons  124-125 

Steindler,  David  M   122 

Stake,  William  &  Co.,  Inc   1C8 

Stock    l-xdiange   S3 

Stanchl'i.  Id.  I..!  n  1!   145 

Standard  Oil   Building   2C9 

Stevens,  W,  Tyrie   262 

Standard  Roller  Bearing  Co  350,360 


PAGES 

Stevens.  J.  P    &  Co   247 

Stone,  Isaac  Frank   2/1 

Step^.anidi^,  Benas  &  Co  31)4-305 

Storms,  JJaniel   L  332-3j13 

Stiles,  William  H   335 

Standard  Commercial  Tobacco  Co  340-341 

Steendal,  Christian  340-347 

Sullivan,  brancis  de  C   149 

Sweeney,  Edward  L.,  Jr   203 

Talbert,  Joseph  T   101 

Tammany  Society   14 

Taylor,  Clapp  &  Bead   242 

Thorburn.  Grant   14 

Thompson,  .Arthur  W   160 

Thurston  &   Braidich   279 

Titus,  Arthur  Hale   Ill 

Tontine  Coffee  House,  Old   296 

Towns,   Charles    B   344 

Trinity  Place,  Old   42 

Truda,  Dominick  A   299 

Turner-Halsey    Co   236 

Turner,  J.  Spencer  &  Co   245 

Tweed,  Wi.iiam  M   56 

Union  Square,  Old   40 

United  States  Worsted  ('i.   240 

United  Zinc  Smelting  Corjc  iralion  3-18-349 

U.  S.  Industrial  Alcohol  Co  269-270 

Utica  Mines,  Ltd  192-193 

Van  Ommeren,  Ph,  Cor].,  .ration  302-303 

Varick.  Col.  Riciiand   24 

Veit,  Richard  C   219 

Vidal,  Claudio   265 

Vogel,    Martin   139 


XA^aring.  Lewis  E  

Watts,  Stebbins  &  Co. 

Welch,  Cr.arles  T  

Wells,  lames  L  

West  Street  Buildiim. 


  96 

  243 

  118 

  118 

  131 

Weeks.  Bartow  S   152 

Wellington.  Sears  &  Co   239 

"Whitehall"  Go\ernment  House   11 

White,  Patrick  J  222-223 

Whitman.  Wi'liam  Co.,  Inc  232-233 

Whitmarsh,  Theodore  F   321 

Wilbur,  lohn  A  322-323 

Wiimot,  T.  F.,  8i  Co   266 

Wilson,  Char'es  T.,  Co   202 

Winter  Son  &  Co   359 

Woodward,  Baldwin  &  Co.   238 

Woolworth  Building   109 

Yeatman,   Pope   169 

Yeager,  Walter  M  224-225 

Zahriskie.  George  A  330-331 

Zucca,   Antonio   264 


